HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR I.
THEME: It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.
BY: Rev Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA.
READINGS OF THE DAY
Genesis 2:4-9,15-17
Psalm 103:1-2,27-30
Mark 7:14-23
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
GREEN
*ABOUT THE FIRST READING OF TODAY*
In our first reading today, we heard the story of how God created the first Man, Adam, from dust of the Earth, in the Gardens of Eden, and later on shortly, the first Woman, Eve, from Adam’s own flesh and bone. Mankind were created in the very image of God Himself, and was the pinnacle of all of His Creation, made in His own likeness and filled with all graces and blessings. We heard how God was happy with everything He had created and how everything were good and perfect, filled with the great bliss of heavenly joy, and that is what we have always been intended to enjoy, from the very beginning, to be with God and to live forevermore in His loving presence.
RELATED: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR I
*FROM THE GOSPEL READING OF TODAY*
In our gospel reading Jesus makes a distinction between what is on the outside of a person and what is within. The religious experts of the time were very concerned about certain external rituals that needed to be performed if a person was to be right with God. Jesus declares that what is much more important in God’s eyes is what is within the heart of the person, because what is within a person determines a person’s moral behaviour, how they speak and how they act. This is what matters to God rather than various ritual washings of one kind or another or what people eat or don’t eat.
*CONCLUSION*
As in yesterday’s gospel reading, Jesus is saying that the religious experts of the time are not getting their priorities right. Their priorities are not God’s priorities. The most important part of a tree is its roots, which are invisible because they go down deep into the earth. Jesus is suggesting God wants us to look deeply into ourselves with a view to getting our depths right. Our inner life will determine the quality of our outer, observable life. Our underlying attitudes and values are what really matters. We need to keep working on our inner core, or, rather, allow the Lord to keep working on it, asking him to keep on renewing our heart so that it corresponds more to his heart.
Have a Blessed Wednesday, let us continue to pray for the victims of the earthquake tragedy in Syria and Turkey.
FOR MORE HOMILIES CLICK >>>>>>