Homily for Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II
Theme: BE FAITHFUL TO GOD; DO NOT JUDGE
By: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
Homily for Monday june22 2020
READINGS: 2KINGS 17:5-8.13-15, PSALM 60, MATTHEW 7:1-5
God never punished his people for what they didn’t do; in fact, he’d always lay down his commandments, before them charging them to obey same and be blessed and do otherwise and be cursed. Leveticus 26:14-16ff has this to say: “The Lord said, if you will not obey my commands, you will be punished. If you refuse to obey my laws and commands, and break the covenant I have made with you, I will punish you and bring disaster on you – incurable diseases…” And God further posits in Deuteronomy 28:15: “But if you disobey the Lord your God and do not faithfully keep all his commands and laws… evil things will happen to you”. Now the question that begs to be answered is: ‘What chance do we stand should live according to the law? Deuteronomy 11:26–28 sums it up like thus: “Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed.”
Today we hear how Israel fell to Shalmaneser, king of Assyria courtesy of their sins against God. The recalcitrance of the Israelites angered God and he let them fall to the Assyrians. Beloved friends, the law of the Lord has not changed: obedience to him spells blessings for us but disobeying him is fatal. It is sad how humanity more so, Christians of this day disobey God with reckless abandon. Nigeria has obviously angered God through the manslaughter, corruption, apostacies and other evils committed herein. The pain we bear, the hardships we suffer, the evil that has befallen us, the recurrent bad leaders we have, etc. are these not consequences of our sins? Has God not allowed us to be exiled in our land?
Now Jesus, God’s Son has made a summary of all God’s commands by inviting us to love God and man sincerely. One way we can show our love for man is by avoiding the ‘judgmental trend’. It is by recognizing our sinfulness and how we struggle to be good hence understanding with others and not condemning and crucifying them when they fail. Jesus tells us today: ‘Friends, you cannot know the whole facts or everything about the person involved in a said case’. True enough, dear friends, no one knows the strength of another person’s temptations. As our temperaments are different, so different are the ways we react to situations. If you have a placid and equable temperament, I bet you know nothing of the temptations of a hot-blooded person whose emotions are easily aroused. Do not Judge anybody until you yourself have come into his/her situation.
Jesus also tells us today: ‘It almost impossible for any of us to have an impartial judgment’. This is so true because, time and again, we are swayed by our instinctive and unreasoned reactions to people. What happens when you are to decide on a situation involving your sworn aggressor, or someone you hate, or despise? Only he/she that is completely impartial has the right to judge; a right only God has. Do not Judge anyone.
Jesus finally tells us: ‘NO ONE IS GOOD ENOUGH TO JUDGE ANOTHER PERSON’. Only the faultless person have the right to look for faults in others. He/she that may criticize another is only he/she that is prepared to venture into the same situation he/she is criticizing and DO IT BETTER! It beats my imagination when a sworn adulterer, cheat, thief, wicked, corrupt, etc; instead of battling with how best to conquer his/her sins, busies his/herself criticizing and upbraiding others. Jesus tasks us today to clean our ‘backyards’ properly and with our characters impeccable, we may remonstrate other brothers or sisters rightly.
HELP SOMEONE TODAY