HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK IN ADVENT SEASON, YEAR B

HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK IN ADVENT SEASON, YEAR B

THEME OF THE HOMILY: They heed neither John nor the Son of Man.

BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA

READINGS OF THE DAY
Isaiah 48:17-19
Psalm 1:1-4,6
Matthew 11:16-19

LITURGICAL COLOUR
PURPLE

INTRODUCTION
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Friday of the second Week of Advent, Liturgical calendar Year B.

FROM OUR FIRST READING
In todays first reading, the prophet speaks of how everything would have turned out well for the people of God if they had trusted in Him and followed His path, instead of the fate that they had endured, the sufferings, humiliations and challenges that they had encountered because of their lack of faith and disobedience, their refusal to follow the path which the Lord had instructed and shown them, and which He has constantly reminded them through His many prophets and messengers. God wanted all of His people to know that it is in Him alone that they could find true joy, purpose and satisfaction in life, and nothing could replace Him or His truth and ways.

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FROM OUR GOSPEL READING
Jesus was a keen observer of people of all ages. He often spoke about his own ministry and the kingdom of God using images drawn from day to day life. In this morning’s gospel reading we find him drawing on his observation of children at play in the market square. Sometimes their games reflect the joy of life. Some pretend to play pipes as if at a wedding while other children dance to the music. At other times their games reflect the sorrows of life. Some children would sing dirges as if at a funeral while others would mourn and wail in response. Jesus often noticed that there were some children who refused to join in any game; they wouldn’t dance when the pipes were played and they wouldn’t be mourners when dirges were sung.

CONCLUSION
These unresponsive children remind Jesus of some of the adults of his day. They would neither mourn in response to the gloomy message of John the Baptist nor dance in response to the joyful message of Jesus. They dismissed John the Baptist as possessed and Jesus as a glutton and a drunkard. It is interesting that Jesus identifies his own ministry with the piper and the dance. His life and his message are good news, the good news of God’s love for us all; he plays a joyful tune. We are called to move in unison with the joyful music of Jesus, with the music of his Spirit that plays deep within our hearts. We try to attune ourselves to the Lord’s rhythm and melody and allow it to shape all that we say and do. That is our Advent calling in preparation for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.

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