YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: AS SEPTEMBER ENDS
BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
HOMILY: MEMORIAL OF
Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep, Keep Thy lamb, in safety keep; Nothing can Thy power withstand; None can pluck me from Thy hand. 2 Loving Saviour, Thou didst give Thine own life that we might live; And the hands outstretched to bless Bear the cruel nails' impress.
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: AS SEPTEMBER ENDS
BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
HOMILY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JEROME PRIEST AND DOCTOR
READINGS: ZECHARIAH 8:1-8, PSALM 102, LUKE 9:46-50
1) May the Lord of host rebuild us his people: made in his image and likeness, corrupted by sin, saved by grace, yet broken by frailty and sinfulness. May he restore our lost glories and as he promised to build up Zion, may he mend our brokenness, heal our ailments, cleanse our corrupt natures and rebrand us unto God.
2) May He come back to us, rebellious though we have been and dwell in our midst forever (Zech. 8:3). For when he is in our midst:
• Insecurity becomes alien
• pain is no more
• righteousness flourishes
• peace and justice never fail
• love conquers hate
3) In the words of the Psalmist, may he appear in his glory and hear the prayers of the helpless and never despise their prayers (Ps. 102:17-18). That so all his suffering children will experience an enduring wellness, their persistent cries that hitherto seemed to fall on deaf ears will not only be heard but also attended to and life will be as God intended it.
4) May God save his people from the marauding and predating claws of the enemies – physical and spiritual; may occasion the return of the destitute to their homes, may he be our God and we continually be his people (Zech. 8:7-8). May he save us from bad leadership which is a fertile seed bed for:
• corruption and embezzlement
• modern slavery
• impoverishment and poverty
• vice and crime in the prevalent forms of – kidnapping, pogrom, armed robbery, rituals, fraud etc.
5) May God help us dwell together and untroubled in our various nations, tribes and communities (Ps. 102:28). This being so, Mother Earth will become not only habitable but homely, joy and happiness will emanate freely from our lives and peace will endure.
6) May God help us understand that for the aforementioned graces to be ours, we ought to great in his sight by being childlike always. By implication, for God to dwell in our midst hence rebuild and favour us, we must:
• be humbly docile to his promptings
• be unreservedly hopeful that he’ll always attend to us
• trust him undoubtedly
• be of service to those around us.
7) May God help us emulate St Jerome who was a champion of the word of God. He revised the Latin version of the Scripture while working as secretary to Pope Damasus. He always insisted: “Ignorance of the scripture is ignorance of Christ”. May St. Jerome in turn pray for us and enable us to further the true devotion to the Holy Scriptures, for the words of God are life to those who find them (Prov. 4:22). Amen.
8) MAY WE FEED AND EDUCATE ONE FOLK… AMEN
