YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT (2)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT

HOMILY THEME: LENT: DAY 6 – FAST FROM SELFISHNESS; EMBRACE WORKS OF MERCY

BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU

HOMILY: READINGS: LEVITICUS 19:1-2.11-18, PSALM 19, MATTHEW 25:31-46

Let me welcome you my dear brothers and sisters to this new working week; let me pray that as we go about our activities, we’d be careful not to tread on wrong paths – paths of falsehood, injustice, theft (embezzlement/corruption), wickedness (oppression of the less privileged). I pray we avoid paths of slander, hate, vengeance and grudges. Let me contrariwise pray that this week and beyond, we all tread always on the paths of; selfless love, loving our brethren as we do love ourselves (Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:39) or better still, loving one another as Christ loved us (Jn. 13:34). May I exhort us to tow the path of forgiveness and avoid being vengeful for scripture says in Luke 6:37 that we should forgive and we shall be forgiven. And Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:32 to forgive one another even as God…has forgiven us. This indeed is what it really means, the call to be holy as God our Father is holy (Lev. 19:2, Matt. 5:48).

Jesus picks up same idea of being holy and showing love to one another in Matthew 25:34-46 by pragmatically telling us the needful. In very clear terms Christ relates to us the corporal works of mercy, the indispensable requisites for entrance into eternity. Holiness and love are never elusive concepts; these are attributes every good Christian should possess. I can imagine Jesus asking us; ‘after Mass, after kneeling in prayer what next?’, I can guess and rightly so that Jesus would rather we reach out to those in need thereby bringing him closer to them. Beloved in Christ, we have very fertile grounds to cultivate our seeds of faith. The many hospitals around us should be in our favour, take out time to visit the sick and helpless there. The many hungry people around us should become ascending steps for us even as we pursue eternity. Prisoners are the most unvisited persons in our society, yet they need visits the most, we may do well to make out time and visit them.

Dearly beloved in the Lord, ours is a world full of people who are underprivileged, marginalized, impoverished, naked, thirsty and destitute. We have around us those whose lives have been perilous and wrapped in grief and pain. Jesus would desire that we do as little as soothe their pains, mend their brokenness, quench their thirst, cover their nakedness and shelter them (these are everywhere around us). He’d want us to be PRAGMATICALLY loving, and VISIBLY holy, if you know what I mean.

BE CHRISTLIKE, FEED AND EDUCATE ONE