HOMILY FOR TUESDAY 26th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR (A)
By. Deacon Bill Frere
Gospel – Luke 9:51-56
Welcome Mat!
HOMILY THEME: Greek Patriarchate, Jerusalem
We live in a world today where we ignore phone calls, fail to respond to texts or messages; we choose not to respond to the doorbell! We glance at the phone number, peek out the window, check our social media and then we make a quick choice – respond or ignore! So much for rolling out the welcome mat!
And yet that is what the Samaritan village does in today’s Gospel. When the disciples visit the village to prepare for Jesus’ arrival, they are unceremoniously rebuffed and not allowed to enter! The welcome mat has been rolled up and hidden away. Of course, the response is not unusual. Samaritans and Jews were bitterly opposed to one another for ethnic and religious reasons. But James’ and John’s reaction of wanting to call down fire to destroy the town seems a bit overboard.
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So it makes me wonder! If we spend so much time and energy rejecting phone calls and knocks on the front door, how do we respond to Jesus’ visits throughout our lives? Do we refuse to answer because it is inconvenient? Do we ignore the call and tell ourselves I’ll call back later (but never do)? Do we pretend He isn’t there and keep the door locked and the phone number blocked?
Or do we answer and provide a warm welcome, opening wide the door to our hearts and spirit, ready and willing to hear His words and follow His path? Jesus is knocking! How will you respond?
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