HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II Memorial of Saint Antony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
THEME: The best instinct of human nature is to overcome evil with good. Let us no pay evil by evil.
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
HOMILY FOR MONDAY JUNE 13 2022
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
1 Kings 21:1-16
Psalm 5:2-3,5-7
Matthew 5:38-42
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
White
*INTRODUCTION*
Today is the Monday of the eleventh week in Ordinary time of Year C. Today also being the 13th of June, we celebrate the Memorial of St Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan priest, and the Doctor of the Church.
*ABOUT THE LITURGICAL READINGS OF THE DAY*
Dear brethrens, there is a very strong contrast between this morning’s first reading and gospel reading.
*ABOUT THE FIRST READING*
a pagan, arranged for one of her hard working and decent subjects to be killed so that her husband could take possession of his land. Here was a glaring example of the irresponsible misuse of power. She responded to goodness with evil.
*ABOUT THE GOSPEL READING*
In the gospel reading Jesus calls on his disciples not to repay evil with evil, with to respond to evil with goodness. St Paul says something similar in his letter to the Romans, ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’.
*WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE READINGS OF TODAY?*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are reminded in a special way that, the best instinct of human nature is to overcome evil with good. This in fact could be termed the divine instinct, God’s instinct. It was the way of Jesus. He lived and died to overcome evil with good. It is not easy to remain good in the face of evil, to be loving in the face of hatred, to be faithful in the face of unfaithfulness, to remain just in the face of injustice done to us, to be peacemakers in the face of violence done to us. We cannot live in this way drawing on our own strength and resources alone. We need God’s strength, God’s resources, God’s Spirit, because such a way of life is the fruit of God’s Spirit at work within us.
*CONCLUSION*
Dear Friends in Christ, just as St. Anthony of Padua had inspired numerous people to follow in his examples, let us all also walk in his path, and remembering what the Lord Himself had done for our sake, in His selfless love and in His desire to be reconciled and reunited with us.
St Anthony of Padua, Pray For Us.
Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
