HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE THIRTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.
HOMILY THEME: THE VOICE TO FOLLOW NOW
BY: Rev Fr Joseph Nyarko Asare
HOMILY:
(1Mac 2:15-29/Ps 50/Lk 19:41-44)
The officers proclaimed their abominable sacrifices, some cowards, fearful or ignorant, as well as wayward people obeyed and sacrificed in obedience to the king. Admitting that nobility and leadership are Divine gifts, Mattathias led an absolute rebellion, disobeyed the orders, faced the tyrant and chose to be a fugitive rather than to live and enjoy his riches in the city. Like the Son of Man who had nowhere to lay his head, the bold Mattathias led a group to a homeless dwelling in the mountains.
For the Ancient Israelites, God was encountered in the mountain and safety was best assured in the mountains as well. They ran for safety and ran to their Lord to strategise and to launch a counter attack. Fortunately, many followed him. Standing for the truth meant a readiness for war and attacks and the righteous man would not run from that reality.
Jesus came as the Word of God and the voice of liberation. It is said to read from the Gospel according to John that, “He came to his own and his own people received him not”. In a world destined for chaos, only the voice of Jesus could restore and establish. Wait, Jesus is not an option; he is the only place of safety, the only safe location on earth. There is no life outside him. A rebellious Jerusalem was doomed not because Jesus condemned them but because of the fact that they refused the “life jacket” that could save them from destruction.
May we not harden our hearts if we hear his voice today.
PRAYER POINTS
~Lord, forgive my rebellious lifestyle ~That I will stand for Jesus in all circumstances
~For the boldness to profess Jesus and stick to that
(Rev Fr Joseph Nyarko Asare of the Catholic Diocese of Obuasi)
