HOMILY OF 32ND THURSDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY OF 32ND THURSDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: GOD’S KINGDOM IN OUR MIDST
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
Phmn 7-20; Psalm 145(146):7-10; Luke 17:20-25
‘…The kingdom of God is in your midst.’
Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees were inclined to examine things by appearances. He accused them of being far too external in their orientation. In the Gospel of today (Luke 17:20-25), having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation.”
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It is interesting that it would be the Pharisees who would approach Jesus with this question, interesting, but not surprising. The Pharisees looked upon themselves as the experts in spiritual matters. No doubt they would have expected Messiah to have come from among their elite group. They saw themselves as the accrediting agency for all spiritual ministries and matters.
The Pharisees may very well have thought that they could deal in the same fashion with the arrival of the kingdom of God. They would simply apply all of their standards and tests (assuming, of course, that they were absolutely correct and infallible) over a period of time, and then in a very cautious and scientific way pronounce the true Messiah to be such.
The concept of the kingdom was so secular, so earthly, so materialistic that the kingdom of our Lord was never seriously entertained as an option. Jesus simply did not fit the preconceived expectations of the Pharisees and the people, and neither group had any thought of changing these. Thus, Jesus simply had to go. And this was in spite of the fact that Jesus did produce many signs, attesting His identity as Messiah.
And so it is with us. We neglect what is important in search of what has no value. We miss great opportunities over irrelevant things. We forget about what God is already doing in our lives and focus on what He hasn’t accomplished. Today, we are still looking for signs and missing the kingdom already in our midst.
The trap of judgment is set in ordinary events of life. Jesus wants us to know that people would be going about their normal lives, doing what they are used to. It is easy to be carried away. The world increases the traps by creating more pleasurable events that drive our focus from eternity. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world and land, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen.
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