HOMILY FOR SATURDAY AFTER THE ASH WEDNESDAY OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR/ YEAR B
HOMILY FOR SATURDAY AFTER THE ASH WEDNESDAY OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR/ YEAR B
THEME: Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.
BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA
READINGS OF THE DAY
Isaiah 58:9-14
Psalm 85:1-6
Luke 5:27-32
LITURGICAL COLOUR
VIOLET/ PURPLE
INTRODUCTION
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Saturday after the celebration of the Ash Wednesday.
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FROM OUR FIRST READING
In our first reading today, we heard from the the prophet Isaiah speaking to His people in the southern kingdom of Judah about the matter of the repentance of the people from their many sins and wickedness, from their rebellions and disobedience, all of which had caused them to endure trials and sufferings, difficulties and humiliations because of their enemies and all those who had gone into conflict with them. At that time, the prophet Isaiah was sent to the kingdom of Judah when their northern neighbour, the kingdom of Israel that ruled over most of the ten out of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, God’s chosen people, had been subjugated, destroyed and conquered by the mighty Assyrian Empire.
FROM THE GOSPEL READING
In today’s gospel by His grace, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector from the custom’s post to be His follower and apostle. It is a wonderful consolation that He admits poor fishermen to be His disciples, men of the lowest rank; but much more wonderful that He admits publicans, men of the worst reputation and men of ill fame. In this instance Christ humbles Himself and appears in the likeness of sinful flesh. By this He exposes Himself and gets the true character of a friend of publicans and sinners.
CONCLUSION
Jesus is our friend. We may have neglected the friendship or been out of touch for a while from Him but the Lord continues to have an intimate and growing relationship with each one of us who comes to Him. He’s ready whenever we are to renew the friendship. Our Friend Jesus is waiting to hear from us. If so, then let us get back and be in touch with Him again. Let us build friendship with Jesus into our life’s story.
At the end let us reflect this word of Jesus our Ultimate Friend who once said to His closest followers: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you,” (John 15:15). We are His friends. And to His friends He says: “I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
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