HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT.
THEME: Anyone who is angry with his brother or sister will answer for it.
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA.
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Ezekiel 18:21-28
Psalm 129
Matthew 5:20-26
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
PURPLE
*FROM THE FIRST READING*
In our first reading today, God told His people through Ezekiel how everyone will be judged and have their fates determined by each and every one of their actions and deeds, their words and interactions in life. The Lord essentially told His people that there is no one who is already condemned from the beginning, and opportunity is always provided to all those who seek for reconciliation with Him. God is always ever generous with His love and mercy, and He never ceases to love us all, caring for us and giving us the necessary guidance and help in life.
RELATED: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT
*FROM THE GOSPEL READING*
In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus calls his disciples to a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and Pharisees. One of the ten commandments of the Jewish Law was ‘You shall not kill’. However, the call of Jesus goes deeper than that; it looks beyond the action of killing to the underlying attitudes and emotions which lead people to kill or injure each other. Jesus invites us to look below the surface of what we do to why we do it. He calls for a renewal of the heart and mind; that is what we mean by ‘repentance’ or ‘conversion’.
*CONCLUSION*
That deep-seated renewal that Jesus calls for is not something we can bring about on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to work that kind of deep transformation within ourselves. A prayer that has been traditional within the church acknowledges that very clearly: ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart, and kindle in me the fire of your love’. It is a prayer I have always found myself drawn to. It calls on the Holy Spirit to recreate deep within us the love which shaped the person of Jesus; it calls on the Spirit to form in us the roots of that deeper virtue which Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel reading.
Have a Blessed weekend everyone.
FOR MORE HOMILIES CLICK >>>>>