HOMILY FOR THE 6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A. (5)

 HOMILY FOR THE 6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

THEME: Doing God’s Will and the Demands of Christian Living.

BY: Fr. Luke Ijezie

Sirach 15:15-20
Psalm 119:1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34
1Corinthians 2:6-10
Matthew 5: 17-37.

HOMILY FOR THE 6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

THEME: Doing God’s Will and the Demands of Christian Living.

BY: Fr. Luke Ijezie

 

Sirach 15:15-20
Psalm 119:1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34
1Corinthians 2:6-10
Matthew 5: 17-37.

Being a Christian is not easy. Many Christians do not realise this. That is why authentic Christians are few. The readings of this 6th Sunday of the year present to us some of the higher ethical standards of Christianity which constitute the only way to do God’s will as a Christian.

1. The Gospel text from Matt 5:17-37, which is part of the sermon on the mountain, sums up the higher norm which the followers of Christ must observe. Jesus makes it clear that he has not come to abolish the old law and the teachings of the old prophets. He has rather come to bring them to completion. The Greek word Jesus uses here is “plerosai” meaning “to complete, fulfil, bring to fullness”. The whole of the law and the Prophetic books in the Jewish Canon all point to Jesus for their completion or fullnes. In him they have fulfilled their purpose of leading people to understand and accomplish God’s will. Jesus is now the new way. There is a progression in divine revelationin the Bible. In Jesus, divine revelationcomes to its fullness and takes on a new direction. Doing God’s will now means listening to Jesus and following his way. This involves a higher ethic and a greater commitment. It is no longer mere external observance of the law but a whole hearted commitment with one’s life. It involves total self-giving, total sincerity, honesty and love. No hypocrisy anymore! If one is angry with one’s brother or in oppressive relationship with one’s brother, one cannot expect God to accept one’s offerings. One must first reconcile. It is as serious as that. For Jesus, the moral standards of his followers must be higher than that of the scribes and pharisees, who were the moral champions of the old law. What this means is that the Christian morality must be of the highest standards in every age and culture. The real Christian cannot join the bandwagon. Christians cannot say after all others are doing it so we have to join them. The question should be: Is this in sync with the mind of Christ?
2. In every age God gives us the sound principles for a happy life and the way to discover His will and do it. The first reading from Sir 15:15-20 says that God in His wisdom has set before us fire and water and whichever we choose, we stretch forth our hands to it. He has set before us life and death, good and evil, and whichever we opt for shall be given to us. So we cannot blame God when we choose evil and reduce our society to a vale of tears. In our time, God is ever pointing the way of life to us through different signs and words of Jesus. It is left to us to accept the light or to continue to grope in the dark. The Psalmist of today in Psalm 119 proclaims that the truly happy and blessed person is the one who accepts the laws of God and keeps them with the whole heart.

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3. To do do the will of God according to the higher standards that Jesus teaches, we must follow with faith and not just with the human sight. God calls us to a higher way of seeing because the treasures promised and prepared for us are on a higher plane. This is what Paul tells the Corinthians in the second reading from 1Cor 2:6-10. The wisdom needed to follow Christ and to live as authentic Christians is not the wisdom of this age. Rather, we are called to a divine wisdom that is mysterious, hidden for ages but revealed in Christ. It is a wisdom that reveals the glory in store for us: what eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” So when Jesus invites us today to new and higher moral standards, he is preparing us to receive the great treasures that await us.

4. Our great hope as Christians is that all our sufferings will end in glory. No matter how terribly we feel today, betrayed or frustrated, the future is still glorious, more glorious than we can ever imagine. What is required presently is that we keep persevering and remaining strong in faith and morals, not modelling our lives to the world around us. As our nation prepares for general elections, Christians must show higher standards, refusing to be tainted by violence and electoral malpractices. The frustrations of daily living should not make us to turn against one another and begin to tear one another apart. Hard times are times to prove that we are true followers of Christ, loving one another, not being angry and insulting but moving on with faith and hope towards the land of promise.

May God’s Spirit continue to guide us as we live the true Christian life of love and commitment!

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