Homily
*HOMILY FOR JULY 21 2020 TUESDAY OF THE SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II*
Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20; Psalm 85: 2-4, 5-6, 7-8; Matthew 12: 46-50
I AM A DIVINE PROJECT
I am a Divine Project. You are a Divine Project. We are not to be abandoned. God will not forsake me, God will not forsake you. In the First Reading, the prophet Micah remarks that God is always faithful to the promises made to the people who are called to follow the ways of God. Even after infidelity on the part of the people, God is willing to restore them to covenant relationship – if they seek forgiveness. Micah provides a prayer to God requesting that God once again shepherd the people who were called into a covenant relationship with the Trinity. The people have strayed like lost sheep, and need the guidance of a shepherding God who will forgive the erring ways of the divinely chosen flock. Micah asks God to remember the covenant of old and the relationship which God made with Abraham and his descendants.
The psalm response also speaks of the mercy and love of God which greatly surpasses God’s anger and displeasure at the people’s sinfulness. God is merciful and compassion. The phrase in verse 8 is used frequently in the liturgy of the hours: “Show us, O Lord, Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.” Salvation is the gift offered to penitent sinners. It is the result of God’s kindness and love, not something earned by those who have turned from sin to God. The result of God’s kindness and love should be manifested in the lives of those who are trying to live repentant and renewed lives.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about what behavior demonstrates a true relationship with Him and His Father. Jesus teaches us that what makes us a relative to him and God the Father is not blood lines, but seeking to do the will of God. Mary is the human who is in the closest relationship with Jesus, not just because of being His mother, but also because she was willing to do the will of God, and thus became Jesus’ mother. Her obedience led to her giving birth to Jesus.
Dear Sisters and Brothers, I am a Divine project, and you are a Divine Project. I realize that my good deeds are not what saves me. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has offered me the gift of salvation and forgiveness. My response should be, to want to do the will of God. And the more I am willing to do God’s will, the more I can experience the closeness of the relationship which the Lord Jesus wants to have with me. It is arranged thus: God’s mercy and love, my acceptance of God’s gift, my seeking to show my appreciation by doing what pleases the Father, and then God drawing me into an ever deepening connection with the Blessed Trinity. My good actions are my response to what I have been privileged to experience, and not my experience being the result of my good actions. The truth is there is nothing we can do to deserve the gift of salvation and intimate union with God. It is pure gift on God’s part. Once we are aware of the graciousness of our God, we should want to do what God asks of us in order to show our appreciation and thankfulness to God for the kindness which God has extended to us. The more we seek to fit into God’s plan for our lives and the lives of those around us, the more we will experience the closeness of God to us. What made Mary the closest person to Jesus was not that He had her genes, but that she completely and totally sought to do what God asked her to do. God will not abandon me, God will not abandon you. We are Divine Projects. Let us do the things that are pleasing to God. God will perfect everything about us.
*MEDITATION* How do I view my deeds in relationship to salvation? Do I see my deeds as earning me a place in heaven or do I see my deeds as a reflection of the gift of salvation offered to me in and through the death and resurrection of Jesus? What can I more consciously seek to do the will of the heavenly Father? How can I help others to focus on God’s graciousness rather than on trying to earn their way into heaven? Do I know I am a Divine Project?
*PRAYER* Baba God, please forgive us for the times we have not been aware of Your loving care for us. Send your Holy Spirit upon us, t to continue to enlighten us about the relationship You want to have with us. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus SFDPM
Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20; Psalm 85: 2-4, 5-6, 7-8; Matthew 12: 46-50
I AM A DIVINE PROJECT
I am a Divine Project. You are a Divine Project. We are not to be abandoned. God will not forsake me, God will not forsake you. In the First Reading, the prophet Micah remarks that God is always faithful to the promises made to the people who are called to follow the ways of God. Even after infidelity on the part of the people, God is willing to restore them to covenant relationship – if they seek forgiveness. Micah provides a prayer to God requesting that God once again shepherd the people who were called into a covenant relationship with the Trinity. The people have strayed like lost sheep, and need the guidance of a shepherding God who will forgive the erring ways of the divinely chosen flock. Micah asks God to remember the covenant of old and the relationship which God made with Abraham and his descendants.
The psalm response also speaks of the mercy and love of God which greatly surpasses God’s anger and displeasure at the people’s sinfulness. God is merciful and compassion. The phrase in verse 8 is used frequently in the liturgy of the hours: “Show us, O Lord, Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.” Salvation is the gift offered to penitent sinners. It is the result of God’s kindness and love, not something earned by those who have turned from sin to God. The result of God’s kindness and love should be manifested in the lives of those who are trying to live repentant and renewed lives.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about what behavior demonstrates a true relationship with Him and His Father. Jesus teaches us that what makes us a relative to him and God the Father is not blood lines, but seeking to do the will of God. Mary is the human who is in the closest relationship with Jesus, not just because of being His mother, but also because she was willing to do the will of God, and thus became Jesus’ mother. Her obedience led to her giving birth to Jesus.
Dear Sisters and Brothers, I am a Divine project, and you are a Divine Project. I realize that my good deeds are not what saves me. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has offered me the gift of salvation and forgiveness. My response should be, to want to do the will of God. And the more I am willing to do God’s will, the more I can experience the closeness of the relationship which the Lord Jesus wants to have with me. It is arranged thus: God’s mercy and love, my acceptance of God’s gift, my seeking to show my appreciation by doing what pleases the Father, and then God drawing me into an ever deepening connection with the Blessed Trinity. My good actions are my response to what I have been privileged to experience, and not my experience being the result of my good actions. The truth is there is nothing we can do to deserve the gift of salvation and intimate union with God. It is pure gift on God’s part. Once we are aware of the graciousness of our God, we should want to do what God asks of us in order to show our appreciation and thankfulness to God for the kindness which God has extended to us. The more we seek to fit into God’s plan for our lives and the lives of those around us, the more we will experience the closeness of God to us. What made Mary the closest person to Jesus was not that He had her genes, but that she completely and totally sought to do what God asked her to do. God will not abandon me, God will not abandon you. We are Divine Projects. Let us do the things that are pleasing to God. God will perfect everything about us.
*MEDITATION* How do I view my deeds in relationship to salvation? Do I see my deeds as earning me a place in heaven or do I see my deeds as a reflection of the gift of salvation offered to me in and through the death and resurrection of Jesus? What can I more consciously seek to do the will of the heavenly Father? How can I help others to focus on God’s graciousness rather than on trying to earn their way into heaven? Do I know I am a Divine Project?
*PRAYER* Baba God, please forgive us for the times we have not been aware of Your loving care for us. Send your Holy Spirit upon us, t to continue to enlighten us about the relationship You want to have with us. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus SFDPM
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