HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF 6TH WEEK OF EASTER.
THEME: Your hearts will be full of joy that no-one will take from you.
BY: FR. DEOTATIOUS CHIKONTWE SMA.
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Acts 18:9-
Psalm 46:2-7
John 16:20-23
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
WHITE
*ABOUT OUR FIRST READING*
At the beginning of today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the risen Lord says to Paul in the course of his mission in Corinth, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out… I am with you’. So many times in both the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament, and in the gospels, the Lord says to people, ‘Do not be afraid… I am with you’. Speaking to Paul, the Lord does not make little of the opposition Paul will encounter in preaching the gospel in Corinth. The Lord’s words to Paul, ‘do not allow yourself to be silenced’, presupposes that there are people who are trying to silence Paul, and that becomes evident further on in that reading. Some members of the Jewish community drag Paul to the Roman governor in Corinth on trumped up charges. The opposition is real, but the Lord says to Paul, ‘do not be afraid… I am with you’.
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*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
This is the message that Jesus gives to his disciples in the gospel reading as well. He acknowledges the pain and sorrow that the disciples are experiencing and that lies ahead for them, ‘you will be weeping and wailing… you will be sorrowful… you are sad now’. Yet, Jesus also says to them, ‘I will see you again’. In other words, ‘I will be with you’. Because of his presence to them, Jesus says to them, ‘your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one will take from you’.
*CONCLUSION*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, both readings the Lord assures us that his presence to us will help us to get through whatever negative experiences come our way. It is good for us to hear that simple but profound message in these difficult days. We are not on our own. The Lord is with us and he will give us the strength to get through these demanding days. Indeed, according to the gospel reading, in the midst of so much that can understandably make us sad and sorrowful, the Lord can give us a share in his own risen joy because of his sustaining presence to us.
May almighty God bless us all, who is the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Fr Deotacious Chikontwe a SMA.
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