HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT.
THEME: They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders.
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Isaiah 1:10,16-20
Psalm 49:8-9,16-17,21,23
Matthew 23:1-12
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
PURPLE
*FROM OUR FIRST READING*
In our first reading today, the prophet Isaiah is calling on the people to repent thier sinful ways. He purposefully referred to them all as the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah. These two cities were infamous for their great wickedness and sins, their immoral and evil behaviours, and were crushed and destroyed by God by a rain of brimstone and fire from Heaven. God gave them a chance when He sent His Angel to them to save Lot, the nephew of His servant Abraham, our father in faith, and as Abraham had also earlier on pleaded with Him to spare the two cities if just a few of the righteous could be found there. Unfortunately, only Lot and his immediate family alone were righteous among all of the people dwelling there, and all were destroyed.
RELATED: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT
*FROM THE. GOSPEL OF TODAY*
In the gospel reading Jesus refers to the Pharisees as those who tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders. In contrast, Jesus had said earlier in Matthew’s gospel, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. Jesus’ work consisted in lifting unnecessary burdens from people’s shoulders rather than laying such burdens on people’s shoulders.
*CONCLUSION*
Most of us have to deal with burdens of one kind or another as we go through life. Some burdens are necessary and unavoidable; they are the burdens of love, the burdens that come to us from giving ourselves to others in one way or another. Jesus is critical of those who impose unnecessary burdens on others. We can all be guilty of doing that from time to time. Rather than imposing unnecessary burdens on others, our calling is to help carry each other’s burdens, to make life less burdensome for each other. In doing that we will be acting in the spirit of the one who said, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. The Lord helps us all to carry our burdens, both the necessary and inevitable ones and the unnecessary ones.
The Lord be with You!
FOR MORE HOMILIES CLICK >>>>>