YEAR A: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT (1)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT

HOMILY THEME: A SLAVE TO SIN…..”Then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free”

BY: Fr. Iñaki BALLBÉ i Turu

HOMILY: Today, when we are only a few days from the Holy Week, our Lord is asking us to fight to live some very specific things, small, but at times, not very easy. We shall explain them throughout this commentary: basically, it is a matter of persisting with his word. How important it is to always refer our life to the Gospel! Let’s ask us: What would Jesus do in this situation I have to face now? How would He treat this person which I find so specially difficult to treat? Which would be his reaction before this circumstance? A Christian must be —according to Saint Paul— “another Christ”: «I no longer live, but Christ lives in me» (Gal 2:20). How is it, our Lord’s reflection, on our daily life? Am I his mirror?

Our Lord assures us that, if we persist in his word, we shall know the truth, and the truth will make us free (cf. Jn 8:32). To be truthful is not always easy. How often do we tell small lies, how often do we pretend, how often do “we act dumb”? We cannot deceive God. He sees us, He contemplates us. He loves us and follows us, in our day-to-day routine. The eight Commandment teaches us not to bear false witness nor not to tell lies, no matter how small, even if they look trivial to us. “White lies” are not permitted either. Jesus Christ tells us in another moment: «Let your statement be, Yes, yes' orNo, no’» (Mt 5:37). That trend to do good, which is freedom, is very much related to truth. Sometimes, we are not free enough because there is a double bottom in our life, we are not clear. We must be convincing! The sin of lie enslaves us.

Our Lord says «If God were your Father you would love me» (Jn 8:42). How can we make it come true our daily desire to get to know the Master? With what kind of devotion do we read the Gospel, even though we may have little time at our disposal? Which sediment will it leave in my life, in my day? When looking at me can it be said, that I read Christ’s life?

Fr. Iñaki BALLBÉ i Turu
(Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain)