HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.
THEME: Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA.
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13
Psalm 145:6-10
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 5:1-12
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
GREEN
*INTRODUCTION*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time of Year A. In todays readings especially the Gospel, we will hear how the Lord is teaching His disciples and hence all of us, as He laid out for us the Eight Beatitudes according to Mathew’s Gospel.
RELATED: HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
*ABOUT OUR FIRST READING*
In todays first reading, the prophet Zephaniah is calling on the people of the Lord to be meek, humble and just, as well as to seek refuge in the Lord so that on the Day of Judgment, they may truly find rest and consolation in God, their Hope and their Strength. He spoke of these in the context of how the people of God, had often refused to obey the Lord and His words, and had acted proudly and with ambition, seeking worldly glory and satisfaction, all of which led them down the path of sin.
*ABOUT OUR SECOND READING*
From our second reading, St Paul talks of how God chose the seemingly weak and unimportant people to receive His grace and salvation, and how God will strengthen and give His grace, wisdom and strength to the weak and the humble, all so that they can indeed gain glory through the Lord, and be saved, as opposed to the proud and the haughty. The Apostle hence reminded the people of God not to follow the path of worldliness, greed, pride and ambition, which the world advocates, but to follow only the Lord.
*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
In our gospel book of today, Jesus is talking about what we can call the heavenly constitution, the eight Beatitudes. It is being hungry for holiness, merciful, pure of heart, peacemaker, and persecuted for righteousness. The beatitudes, therefore, signifies not just sweet religious attitudes of a passive life by which we have to pray and attend Mass everyday, but our Christian lives should also be directed towards the problems of the world, the conversion of sinners and the missionary task of the Church which we support day and night.
*CONCLUSION*
Beatitudes means blessings, and Jesus taught us what true blessings are, and how to receive those blessings.
It is in being humble and gentle, compassionate and kind, striving for justice and peace, enduring abuse and persecution, that God will pour His blessings on us. So even if others say bad things about us, or lie about us, let us not fight back at them. Let us see everything as a blessing from God.
Have a Blessed Sunday everyone!
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