HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A. 16.06.2020.

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Readings: 1 Kings 21:17-29; Psalm 51 and Matthew 5:43-48.

THE BLEND OF JUSTICE AND MERCY

 

Yesterday we saw the abuse of power expressed by King Ahab and his wife Jezebel of which they unjustly took the life of Naboth and took possession of his vineyard. Today’s reading reports a divine punishment that was predicted from God through the mouth of his prophet Elijah, that Queen Jezebel who was the brain behind the murder of an innocent man will go in for it together with King Ahab.

 

The word of the Lord came to Elijah to announce to them, who have killed and also taken possession of Naboth vineyard, “Behold, I will bring evil upon you; I will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male… for the anger to which you have provoked me and have made Israel to sin.” He went further saying, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.” Naturally speaking, this is justice to the evil they have done and is considered as the Mosaic law of retribution. Every man will naturally desire these strong words for his enemies. However, King Ahab understood this prophecy of judgment as an invitation to repentance and he experienced the mercy of God, which is the central of our reflection for today. The penitent heart ever meet the merciful eyes of God, Ahab was a great sinner but he won great mercy through repentance. In the case of Jezebel, there was no record of repentance; therefore, we can expect God’s judgment to come upon her as announced by the prophet.

 

While the first reading present the theme of repentance to us, Christ in the Gospel, in interpreting the Mosaic Law, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” He calls us to develop the spirit of forgiveness. Invariable, we experience forgiveness when we are truly sorry for our sins. We need to swallow our pride and refrain from any harshly judgment on others. If King Ahab can repent, it shows how the human heart can change. Proverbs 21:1 tells us, “The hearts of kings are in the hands of God.” Christ illustrate this teaching with his life to love our enemies and pray for those who persecutes us. It appears hard but we can do it. Christ urges us to go beyond our comfort zone and show signs of good will to people outside the circle of those we personally like. As hard it may appear, it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives among us and within us, it is what makes us different from hypocrites.

 

Dear friends in Christ, as we reflect on repentance and forgiveness, have we taken time to observe the reluctant and lackadaisical attitudes of some Catholics towards the Sacrament of reconciliation? Even before the commencement of lockdown, some cannot remember their last sacramental confession. As we gradually look towards the reopening of religious gathering, let our desire also be to return to God through the sacrament of reconciliation. A true repentant heart will surely experience the mercy of God. May God have mercy on us according to his merciful love through Christ our Lord. Amen!

 

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ


Comments

  1. DinmalynJune 15, 2020 at 10:12 PM

    Good morning my Padre. Your page is nice. Keep up the good work. I'm blessed with your daily reflections

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 15, 2020 at 11:25 PM

    Lord have mercy on us for many times we have sinned against you and our fellow human being. Give us your grace to truly repent from our sins. Amen.
    May God continue to bless you Fr. with his wisdom and knowledge through Christ our Lord. Amen
    Have a beautiful day ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJune 16, 2020 at 1:03 AM

    Thank you padre
    May the spirit of God hive us the grace to accept the teaching of today, through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 16, 2020 at 1:07 AM

    Good morning padre,nice one nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  5. homiliesJune 16, 2020 at 2:12 AM

    Amen!

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJune 16, 2020 at 12:29 PM

    Thanks so much Padre

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownJuly 12, 2020 at 11:12 PM

    May God show us His mercy.

    ReplyDelete

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