HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-EIGHT WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.
HOMILY THEME: AN EVIL GENERATION SEEKS SIGNS TO REPENT.
BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu
HOMILY:
“This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.” Luke 11:29-30.
What has to happen to bring me to conversion? How come despite all the sermons I hear each day, I still remain stuck in my sinfulness? Do I need an Angel to appear to me first or do I need to see the Blessed Virgin Mary face to face in other to repent?
I once had a conversation with a minister who told me that the reason why they have “testimony time” in their church is just so that people can hear others stories and become convinced that God can do likewise for them. The reason why they ensure that a miracle is displayed at every service is to wake up the faith of the people.
But the question remains, do I need to see signs and wonders first before I become convinced of what is right and wrong? What happened to my conscience? Do these signs and supernatural phenomena lead me to repentance or simply entertain me? How come despite the series of miracle sessions in thousands of churches across the churches today, many Christians still commit grave atrocities and behave as if there is no God?
The fact that Jesus was not happy with the people that demanded for a sign shows that if I depend on signs to believe, then I can’t really say I have faith. Faith is the evidence of things NOT SEEN and the conviction of things hoped for. Hebrew 11:1. If I must see first to believe, can I really say I have faith? Am I really converted yet?
Nonetheless, Jesus eventually left us with a sign. And this is the only sign we need. No miracle, no supernatural phenomena, no apparition can be stronger or more convincing that the sign of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the third day. If the death and resurrection of Jesus fails to convince me then nothing else can!
God is real. He does not need to prove himself again and again in other for me to believe. Signs and wonders may or may not happen but my willingness to live a holy life and shun sin is what matters. As we begin this new week, I greet us with the words of St. Paul in our first reading: “May the Grace and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, free me from superficial faith. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time. Year A. Bible Study: Romans 1:1-7 and Luke 11:29-32).
