YEAR A: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (2)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: AVOID BLIND GUIDES

BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU

HOMILY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: AVOID BLIND GUIDES

BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU

 

HOMILY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
READINGS: 1TIMOTHY 1:1-2.12-14; PSALM 16, LUKE 6:39-42-27
Friends in Christ as we continue our journey of faith towards eternity, the liturgy of the word today exhort us to carefully watch our ways of life in order to avoid being blinded by the world and its activities. Jesus Christ in Luke 6:39,42 tells us to clear our blurred vision and free our bodies of the many ills therein before we go out criticizing others. What a needful call this is from the scripture to us at this time; for the grace to heed this call we pray through Christ our Lord, amen.

The one who has a blind man as a teacher is definitely destined to crash. In our learning Jesus would ask us in Lk. 6:39-40 to seek only the best teacher who is not blind to the realities of life and the kingdom of God. No one can teach that which he does not know ‘Nemo dat quod non habet’. He goes on to tell us that we have no right to criticize at all. The logic is simple, “take out of your life the logs of vice, selfishness, avarice and consumerism, corruption, embezzlement, gossip, character assassination, jealousy and envy; pride, hate and the likes before you can take a speck out of a brethren’s life” (Lk. 6:42).

Who then among us if I may ask, is without the aforementioned ‘logs’ in his or her life? Who then qualifies to judge or criticize another? Jesus would rather we go about hustling to better our lives and be icons of changed in a highly decayed and continually decaying world. It was the king of pop, Michael Joseph Jackson who opinionated in his song ‘Man in the Mirror’ that “I am talking to the man in the mirror, am asking him to change his ways. If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change.” Ours today is a call by Jesus to return to the cocoons of our lives and struggle to save our necks rather than stretching them to look at the ills of others.

Consequently, dear friends in Christ we celebrate today a man who because of his eloquence and fearless preaching in the name of Christ was named Chrysostom meaning, Golden Mouthed. We celebrate one who Church historians call one of the greatest lights of the Church, St. John Chrysostom. Ordained priest and subsequently made bishop of Constantinople, he stood for the truth and upheld the dignity of the Church in manner displeasing to the Aristocrats of his time, Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexander and Empress Eudoxia just but the most prominent.

He was accused falsely severally and was banished by his adversaries who were in power at the time. He died on his way to Pythius where he was exiled. Friends in Christ, St. John found great happiness in his sufferings for the sake of the gospel. Rather than compromise standards, he chose to suffer grievously. He is an icon of courage, fearless evangelism regardless of the severe consequences. He has indeed become our teacher and example today, he calls us never to be afraid of the powers that be in our world today but courageously go about living out our Christian call.

I pray that other than destructively criticize ourselves, we go all out mending shattered lives, restoring wonderers to the right paths, healing broken hearts (they are everywhere); correcting those who ignorantly go about doing wrong thereby saving souls for Christ. Amen.

FEED AND EDUCATE ONE…

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