HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT. (2)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT.

THEME: John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.

BY: Fr. Deotacious Chikontwe SMA

*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 105:19-23
John 5:31-47

*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
PURPLE

*ABOUT OUR FIRST READING*
In the first reading, Moses pleads with God on behalf of God’s people who have turned away from God and worshipped a calf of molten metal, treating it as their god. This is the fundamental sin of idolatry. Yet, Moses does not give up on the people. He asks God to pardon them and God hears Moses’ prayer; God responds to Moses’ plea. Because of Moses’ prayer there is reconciliation between God and his people. If Moses worked to reconcile God’s people to God, Jesus did so to an even fuller degree. Saint Paul declares, ‘God reconciled us to himself through Christ… in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself’. The work of Moses pointed ahead to the even greater work of Jesus.

*ABOUT OUR GOSPEL READING*
In our Gospel reading this morning, Jesus speaks of John the Baptist as a ‘lamp alight and shining’. Jesus speaks of himself also as the light of the world. If Jesus is the light, John is only a lamp. The relationship between Jesus and John could be compared to that between the sun and the moon. The sun is the source of light; the moon reflects the light of the sun. Jesus is the source of God’s light, the light of God’s love and God’s truth. John’s role was to reflect the light of Jesus by bearing witness to Jesus. John the Baptist expresses the calling of each one of us, in virtue of our baptism.

*CONCLUSION*
Each of us is to be the moon to the sun that is Jesus, the light of the world. We are all called to reflect something of the light of Jesus to others. When people look upon us they are to see something of the light of the Lord reflected in us. When Jesus speaks of himself as the light of the world he is declaring himself to be the perfect revelation in human form of God’s love and God’s truth. He is the love of God and the truth of God incarnate. Our calling is to reflect something of that divine love and truth that shines so brilliantly in Jesus. If we are to be faithful to that calling we need to keep on entering into the light of Jesus, placing ourselves before that light in prayer and in the sacraments.
Lord Shine my life with your light.

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