HOMILY FOR THURSDAY AFTER THE ASH WEDNESDAY OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR [YEAR B]

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY AFTER THE ASH WEDNESDAY OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR [YEAR B]

THEME: Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA

READINGS OF THE DAY
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 1:1-4,6
Luke 9:22-25

LITURGICAL COLOUR
VIOLET/ PURPLE

INTRODUCTION
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Thursday after the celebration of the Ash Wednesday. We are called and reminded by the readings of today on the need for each and every one of us to resist the temptations of the world and all the allures of worldly comfort, pleasure and ambition.

FROM OUR FIRST READING
In our first reading today, we are all reminded of the things which God had presented to all of His people through His Law and commandments, and all the words and the teachings which He Himself had made clear through His servant Moses, that He has expected all of His people to do, that they should always be holy just as He is holy, and to be righteous and just in all things, in how they interact with one another, in doing His works and commandments. God told His people clearly that if they were to follow and obey His Law and commandments, and are righteous, good and worthy in their actions and way of life, they will be blessed and empowered, strengthened and they would receive true joy and happiness, while if they chose what was evil and wicked instead, then they would be condemned and destroyed in the end.

FROM OUR GOSPEL READING
Today’s gospel, Jesus sets before us a triple recipe of how to be His disciples: deny self, take up the cross daily and follow Him. He says: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

CONCLUSION
Let us look together on the three recipes the Gospel reading is talking about;

1. The first recipe is self-denial. Jesus Christ demands self-denial as a necessary condition of discipleship. Self-denial is a summons to submit to the authority of God as Father and of Jesus as Lord and to declare lifelong war on one’s instinctive egoism.

2. The second recipe is, take up the cross daily. Jesus links self-denial with cross-bearing. We cannot avoid our cross. It is always with us that is why we carry it daily. We don’t need to go to other place and search our cross. It is right here beside us always. Our cross can be: rejections, pains, staying faithful in a difficult marriage, loving your black sheep children, forgiving a relative’s past hurts, speaking well of others, raising people up instead of putting them down, being misunderstood and when prayer dries up.

3. The third recipe is, follow Him. Jesus represents discipleship as a matter of following Him and following Him is based on taking up one’s cross and self-denial.

Dear friends in Christ, Jesus calls us not only to self-denial and carrying one’s cross but the freedom to detach ourselves from gaining the riches of the world. True disciples are the ones who know, love and follow only one Lord, Jesus Himself.

The Lord be with You.

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