HOMILY FOR JANUARY 5th , FRIDAY BEFORE THE FEAST OF EPIPHANY, YEAR B

HOMILY FOR JANUARY 5th , FRIDAY BEFORE THE FEAST OF EPIPHANY, YEAR B

THEME : You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man.

BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA

READINGS OF THE DAY
1 John 3:11-21
Psalm 99
John 1:43-51

LITURGICAL COLOUR
WHITE

INTRODUCTION
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.Today we celebrate the 5th day of the Year 2024. And on this special day, we mark the Friday before we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany.

ABOUT THE FIRST READING OF TODATLY
In our first reading today, we heard how the author is reminding the faithful to be always committed to the path of God’s love and righteousness, and in which the examples and comparisons to Cain, one of the first among the race of mankind, was made. Contextually, Cain was one of the sons of Adam and Eve, the first ones that God had created, and he was the eldest, while his brother Abel, was younger. In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain struck down his own brother out of jealousy, anger and hatred, when his offerings, made not out of true love and obedience to God, was rejected while Abel’s offering was accepted by God. Cain became angry at Abel, and eventually, he killed his own brother.

FROM OUR GOSPEL READING OF TODAY
Today’s gospel, Jesus calls Philip to be with Him and experience Him. Philip cannot hold it by himself. He tells Nathanael about Jesus in order for him also to experience what he experienced of Jesus. But Nathanael is skeptical and uneager to believe that a Messiah can come from Nazareth. He says: “Can anything good come from that place?” He is referring to Nazareth, our Lord’s hometown. Nazareth was a neighboring village, and a rather insignificant place. Was it said that we don’t judge the book by its cover? Well, our prejudices and biases often prevent us from seeing the beauty, the greatness and the potentials of the person before us, as somebody had said. And the story above shows such kind of prejudice. Another is judging others by their social background. Nathanael fell into such a trap when he said such words.

CONCLUSION
Jesus reminds us also that whatever our backgrounds are, we are welcome to follow Him. It is a consolation to know that the Lord when He calls us, He does not demand so much of our qualifications like: certificates, diplomas, status in life, educational attainment and others but our willingness to follow him. Yes, God calls not so much the worthy but the willing. May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator, therefore be with each and every one of us, and may He empower us all that we may always be full of love and compassion, and be protected and kept from all sorts of hatred, evils and anger.

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