Homily for Monday of the 2nd Week of Advent Year A
Theme: LENT: DAY 11 – FAST FROM CONDEMNING OTHERS; EMBRACE MERCY
By: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
Homily for Monday March 9 2020
READINGS: DANIEL 9:4b-10, PSALM 79, LUKE 6:36-38
A look at our readings today suggests that during this holy season and beyond, rather than play the blame shifting game, we should sincerely acknowledge our sins as individuals and beg God for his forgiveness. More so, we are challenged by Jesus to imbibe one of God’s greatest attributes, ‘mercy’. He further urges us to take care never to judge and condemn others; rather, we should forgive and in turn, earn God’s forgiveness too. We are also reminded that the riches, knowledge and blessings we enjoy are gifts to be shared with those who don’t have. In fact we are to give immeasurably so that God too will return same measure to us (Lk. 6:36-38).
We often hear people say: ‘Our world is full of evil men and women’; ‘It is consumed with avarice, and ‘Greed is the mark of the modern world’; we also say; ‘Violence, terrorism and insurgency are gradually eating up our world’. Some argue that ‘Hate and malice are cankerworms destroying the harmony and beauty of human coexistence’. In all these, we speak of the world and its ills as an entity apart from us. We forget that we humans make the world; we constitute families, communities, societies, states and nations. We forget that our individual and collective failings disrupt God’s master plan for us and incur his wrath. Instead of apportioning blames to others for our misdeeds, may we acknowledge, accept and confess our sins to God like Daniel did “We have sinned; we have done wrong, and acted wickedly and rebelled…” (Dan. 9:5). Only then can God act mercifully towards us and forgive our failings.
Finally, in line with the gospel we may do well to remember that there is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it is rather hard to tell which of us ought to reform the rest of us. In each of us there is a measure of greed and hatred, direct opposites of compassion and love. Having this in mind, we are challenged to rather than judge, condemn and be selfish; may we show mercy, forgive, and show charity to ourselves. We may want to treat others as good as we are and not as bad as they are! Being the good people that we are and imitators of God our Father, we are challenged to be merciful to our erring brethren, mindful of the fact that we are frail and likely to fail ourselves.
PLEASE, DO FEED AND EDUCATE ONE