*HOMILY FOR JULY 20 2020 MONDAY OF THE SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II*
*HOMILY FOR JULY 20 2020 MONDAY OF THE SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II*
O MY PEOPLE, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU, OR HOW HAVE I WEARIED YOU? ANSWER ME!
Micah 6: 1-4, 6-8; Psalm 50: 5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23; Matthew 12: 38-42 The theme for today is a sentence in the first reading. O my people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Answer me (Micah 6:3). Today we have the opportunity to think about what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus. The prophet Micah reminds the Chosen People that they are sinful. He speaks about what they need to do to show they have changed their lives and are now willing to follow the precepts of the Lord. God is aware that we miss the mark which has been set for us. In other words, we sin. As we are aware of our sins, God does not want us to offer sacrifices and burnt holocaust as sin offerings. Instead, he wants us to change our lives. As the prophet Micah, speaking for God, simply puts, “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only do what is right, love goodness, and walk humbly with your God.”
The psalm reminds us that God will show the divine power of salvation to those who seek to do the right same thing. God will forgive the sins of those whose lives reflect that they now seek to do the right thing.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges His listeners to hear what the One Who is greater than Jonah and Solomon has to say to them and respond accordingly or be condemned by those who have listened. The Gospel portrays an encounter between the religious leaders and Jesus. They want a sign as proof that Jesus truly is the Messiah. Jesus tells them that the only sign they will be given will be His own rising three days after His death. He implies that those who are open to the message of God will not need such a sign for they will have heard Jesus’ message and responded accordingly. Dear Sisters and Brothers, God is crying, asking you and I to come back to him. Today’s readings remind me that I am SIMUL JUSTUS ET PECCATOR (at the same time, just and sinner). I have fallen short of being on target with the Lord Jesus. I have sinned. There is nothing I can do to make up for my sinfulness. Forgiveness is a gift from God. I cannot earn that gift. I can ask for it, but I cannot do anything to make up for my sinfulness. I can believe the words which Jesus spoke about God’s forgiveness, especially flowing from Jesus’ great sign of His death and resurrection. Once I have been touched by the promises of salvation coming from the merciful and forgiving love of the Lord Jesus, I can only respond by living a more upright life. I should want to live a righteous life, not because that will make up for my sinfulness, but because it shows that I have accepted the gift of God’s forgiveness and I want to be in relationship with the forgiving Lord Jesus. I have been sinful, but I have been justified by a loving God through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. By being justified, God only wants me to live a more righteous life – by doing the correct thing (being on target instead of missing the mark/sinning); by loving goodness (recognizing and praising the goodness of God); and by walking humbly with our God.
Walking humbly with our God, means being in a relationship with God. We are called to walk humbly with our Lord Jesus. We are invited to follow Jesus wherever He leads us. We should serve Him by being of service to His disciples. We have been given the sign of the saving power of God as we reflect on the death and the rising of Jesus. Thus we should respond by doing right, loving goodness, and walking humbly with our God.
*MEDITATION* Am I like the religious leaders in the Gospel, asking for a sign from God or do I focus on what Jesus has said to me and seek to change my life accordingly? What can I do today to be more attentive to that particular aspect of my life with God? How can I demonstrate to others the importance of acting justly, loving tenderly, and walking humbly with God?
*PRAYER* Lord God, save me. Grant me forgiveness and give me the courage to live a holy life. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus SFDPM
O MY PEOPLE, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU, OR HOW HAVE I WEARIED YOU? ANSWER ME!
Micah 6: 1-4, 6-8; Psalm 50: 5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23; Matthew 12: 38-42 The theme for today is a sentence in the first reading. O my people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Answer me (Micah 6:3). Today we have the opportunity to think about what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus. The prophet Micah reminds the Chosen People that they are sinful. He speaks about what they need to do to show they have changed their lives and are now willing to follow the precepts of the Lord. God is aware that we miss the mark which has been set for us. In other words, we sin. As we are aware of our sins, God does not want us to offer sacrifices and burnt holocaust as sin offerings. Instead, he wants us to change our lives. As the prophet Micah, speaking for God, simply puts, “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only do what is right, love goodness, and walk humbly with your God.”
The psalm reminds us that God will show the divine power of salvation to those who seek to do the right same thing. God will forgive the sins of those whose lives reflect that they now seek to do the right thing.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges His listeners to hear what the One Who is greater than Jonah and Solomon has to say to them and respond accordingly or be condemned by those who have listened. The Gospel portrays an encounter between the religious leaders and Jesus. They want a sign as proof that Jesus truly is the Messiah. Jesus tells them that the only sign they will be given will be His own rising three days after His death. He implies that those who are open to the message of God will not need such a sign for they will have heard Jesus’ message and responded accordingly. Dear Sisters and Brothers, God is crying, asking you and I to come back to him. Today’s readings remind me that I am SIMUL JUSTUS ET PECCATOR (at the same time, just and sinner). I have fallen short of being on target with the Lord Jesus. I have sinned. There is nothing I can do to make up for my sinfulness. Forgiveness is a gift from God. I cannot earn that gift. I can ask for it, but I cannot do anything to make up for my sinfulness. I can believe the words which Jesus spoke about God’s forgiveness, especially flowing from Jesus’ great sign of His death and resurrection. Once I have been touched by the promises of salvation coming from the merciful and forgiving love of the Lord Jesus, I can only respond by living a more upright life. I should want to live a righteous life, not because that will make up for my sinfulness, but because it shows that I have accepted the gift of God’s forgiveness and I want to be in relationship with the forgiving Lord Jesus. I have been sinful, but I have been justified by a loving God through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. By being justified, God only wants me to live a more righteous life – by doing the correct thing (being on target instead of missing the mark/sinning); by loving goodness (recognizing and praising the goodness of God); and by walking humbly with our God.
Walking humbly with our God, means being in a relationship with God. We are called to walk humbly with our Lord Jesus. We are invited to follow Jesus wherever He leads us. We should serve Him by being of service to His disciples. We have been given the sign of the saving power of God as we reflect on the death and the rising of Jesus. Thus we should respond by doing right, loving goodness, and walking humbly with our God.
*MEDITATION* Am I like the religious leaders in the Gospel, asking for a sign from God or do I focus on what Jesus has said to me and seek to change my life accordingly? What can I do today to be more attentive to that particular aspect of my life with God? How can I demonstrate to others the importance of acting justly, loving tenderly, and walking humbly with God?
*PRAYER* Lord God, save me. Grant me forgiveness and give me the courage to live a holy life. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus SFDPM
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