Catholic homily for Monday of the 13th week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Theme: God wants us to be as compassionate as He is
By: Fr. Evaristus Okeke
Homily for Monday June 28 2021
Genesis 18:16-33; Ps.103; Matthew 8:18-22
Today’s first reading paints a lovely picture of intimacy between God and Abraham. This intimacy teaches us something about Divine connection. Lot chose the land of Sodom for its physical beauty and endowment, leaving Abraham for a less attractive option. Yet the Lord was with Abraham. Today, the Lord opened His Heart to Abraham about his intention to destroy Sodom because of their misdeeds. Abraham did not immediately jump up in excitement and mockery at Lot. Neither did Abraham feel that Lot deserved what he got since he chose Sodom. Rather, Abraham used his “Divine Connection” to see the possibility of saving Sodom.
By this action, Abraham demonstrated that he was truly a friend of God. Abraham who has experienced the compassion of God makes bold to plead for this compassion for the city of Sodom. This is a perfect Christian attitude. When God calls us and makes us his friends, He wants us to be like him. In Ezek.33:11, he says: “I do not want the wicked to die but rather that they turn from their ways and live”. In Jn.10:10b, Jesus says that he has come that we may have life, life is all its fullness.
Beloved, it pleases God when we pray for others especially those who have wronged us. When people pray for the death of their enemies, it leaves one to wonder so much as to what extent one has actually internalize the life of God in himself or herself. God wants us to be like him. Asking for the death of our enemies means coming to God in prayer and telling him that we do not want to be like him. The content of our prayer says a lot about us.
As we pray and plan for a fruitful week, let us also pray and plan to become more like God in his compassion and mercy. Forgiveness is of the strong; revenge is of the weak. If we resolve to “grow stronger” in every ramification of our lives, surely, we will experience God more intimately as Abraham did today. *God Bless You!*
Fr. Evaristus Okeke