HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
HOMILY FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 3 2022
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Galatians 1:6-12
Psalm 110:1-2,7-10
Luke 10:25-37
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
GREEN
*INTRODUCTION*
Dear brethrens, the meeting between the lawyer and Jesus in today’s gospel reading began with the lawyer’s question, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ It ends with Jesus’ call to the lawyer, ‘Go and do likewise’. What the lawyer has to do to inherit eternal life is to do what the Samaritan did. What did the Samaritan do? He noticed the Jewish man lying half dead on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
*FROM THE FIRST READING*
Today we begin meditating on the letter of St Paul to the Galatians. And in our passage of today, the Apostle Paul was reminding the people of God that there was the need for them to adhere closely to the truth and the message of the Gospels and whatever that he and the other missionaries of the Lord had delivered to them. At that time, the people were easily swayed by the teachings of the false prophets and messengers, all those who came up with their own interpretations and ideas not inspired by the truth of God and the Holy Spirit, by those who sought to subvert the truth and the message of the Gospels for their own selfish desires and purposes.
*FROM THE GOSPEL READING*
Like i have said in my introduction of today’s reflection. In our gospel reading today, a lawyer asks Jesus two very important questions. He first asked Jesus, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He then went on to ask him, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ It was in response to that second question that Jesus tells the parable of the good Samaritan.
This parable as we all know states that, there was a man from Jericho, a Jew was beset by bandits and was left to die. A priest and a Levite passed by and ignored the man’s plight while a Samaritan was eventually the one who took care of the man but not only that, as the Samaritan went the extra mile in trying to help the man, and helped the man in his hour of greatest need, caring for him and told the innkeeper to provide extra care as much as needed, and that he would return for him no matter what.
*CONCLUSION*
Our readings for today suggests that in our brokenness the Lord can come in us in ways that will surprise us. The compassionate love of God can touch us in and through those with whom we seem to have very little in common. The parable invites us to be open to the many and varied and surprising ways that the Lord can come to us.
I wish you all a Blessed Week!
