Homily for Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Theme: Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.
By: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
Homily for Saturday March 5 2022
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Isaiah 58:9-14
Psalm 85:1-6
Luke 5:27-32
*INTRODUCTION*
Dear Friends in the Lord, today is the Saturday after the celebration of the Ash Wednesday. And our liturgical readings of today are helping us in a special way to understand that this season of Lent is a time of renewal and a rediscovery and rejuvenation of our faith, as we come closer to God and His throne of mercy and love.
*FROM OUR FIRST READING*
In our first reading today taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard the words of the prophet reminding the people of Judah to whom he had been sent to, calling on them to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and reject the sins and the wicked ways that they and their ancestors had done. The prophet relayed the words of the Lord to the people, calling on them to reject sin and evil, to follow once again the path that the Lord has shown them. The Lord wanted all of them to turn back towards Him and to find healing and consolation in Him.
*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
In our Gospel passage of today, we heard how the Lord called upon Levi, the tax collector to be His follower. Levi listened to the Lord, abandoning everything behind and followed the Lord henceforth, becoming one of His disciples and eventually as one of the Twelve Apostles, St. Matthew, he became a very important and fundamental part of the development of the Church of God. St. Matthew and many other followers of the Lord such as St. Mary Magdalene, among others, were considered as sinners and unworthy by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
*WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE READINGS OF TODAY?*
Dear Friends in Christ, having heard all these words from the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we are so fortunate to have the Lord and His kindness by our side, and yet, many of us are still unaware of this and remained away from the Lord, separated from Him and remaining in the state of sin. This time of Lent we are all reminded that God’s mercy and love for us persists, and what we all need to do is to embrace that mercy and love. It is unfortunate that many of us have not taken up the opportunities presented to us to embrace God’s love and still ignored His generous offer of mercy and forgiveness.
*CONCLUSION*
May the Lord be with us all and help us as we journey with faith through this time of preparation and purification, and may He inspire in us the courage and strength to continue living our lives with dedication and commitment at each and every moments of our lives.
Peace Be With You!
Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA