HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT
HOMILY THEME: GENEROSITY…… “Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful”
BY: Fr. Zacharias MATTAM SDB
HOMILY: Today, how does a Christian behave towards his brothers and sisters? Showing the same compassion and kindness shown to him by the heavenly Father: «Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful» (Lk 6:36). Jesus said, «I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world» (Jn 12:47). Jesus did not judge even his own murderers. Instead He was thinking well of them and excusing them and praying for them: «Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing» (Lk 23:34). As His disciples, we are invited to be like the Master.
Jesus says, in Mathew’s gospel: «Do not judge and you will not be judged. Why do you observe the splinter in brother’s eye and never notice the great log in your own?» (Mt 7:1.3). The log is “the non-love”, the “pride” and “resentment” in our heart. These are like a log preventing us to see the fault of our brother in proper perspective and is more serious than his fault which is only like a splinter, and so these must be banished first. It is only with love that we can truly correct another and «Love excuses everything» (1Cor 13:7).
When Jesus says, «Do not judge», Jesus is not prohibiting the exercise of our faculty of discernment, nor are we asked to approve everything that the brother does. What He is forbidding is to attribute an evil intention to the person for acting thus. Only God knows what is in the heart of a person; «Man looks at the appearance, the Lord looks at the heart» (1Sam 16:7). Further, to judge is God’s prerogative, which we usurp when we judge our brother.
What is important in Christianity is love: «Love one another as I have loved you» (Jn 13:34). This love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rm 5:5). In the Eucharist Christ gives us His Heart as a gift and we can love everyone with His Heart and be merciful as the Heavenly Father is merciful.
Fr. Zacharias MATTAM SDB
(Bangalore, India)
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