HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 17TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: Don’t be used by the devil!
BY: Rev Fr Oselumhense Anetor (Uromi Diocese)
HOMILY FOR SATURDAY JULY 30 2022
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Jer.26:11-16,24; Matt.14:1-12
Sometimes we’re too anxious to prove that we mean what we’re saying. So we open our mouths without caution, touch a finger to our tongues and raise it high in the air, in oath taking. The consequences of this reckless action, usually remain with us. Herod was carried away today by the way Herodias’s daughter danced on the occasion of his birthday, that he swore on oath to grant her whatever she asked. Trust the devil. He didn’t fail to act in Herodias, who prompted her daughter to ask for John the Baptist’s head. What for?
Friends, no matter how hard we try, we simply cannot fully understand God. Why would God even allow a man as great as John the Baptist die in this manner? This shows us that God’s ways are far from ours. John the Baptist had completed his mission and God most probably didn’t see the point of saving him from bodily death at this point. But when Jeremiah faces persecution in the first reading, God decides to save him. Irrespective of what God’s will is, may we not be used by the devil as Herod, Herodias and her daughter were, Amen.
Holy Mary mother of God, pray for Us! Good morning dear. God bless your weekend.
