Father Nathan Homily | February 23, 2020
Father Nathan | Homily
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Introduction:
Today’s readings explain why Christians are expected to be holy and how we are meant to become holy people. The first and second readings give us reasons why we should be holy, and the Gospel describes four methods of becoming holy people prescribed for us by Jesus.
Scripture lessons summarized:
In today’s first reading (Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18), is aken from the book of Leviticus, teaches us that we should be holy because it is the command given to us by God through Moses:
“Be holy, for I the Lord, your God, am holy.”
It also shows us the way to share in God’s holiness:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 103), challenges us to be holy as our God is holy by becoming kind and merciful and forgiving, as He is to us.
“The Lord is kind and merciful.”
The second reading (1 Corinthians 3:16-23)
St. Paul gives us an additional reason to be holy. We are to keep our bodies and souls holy because we are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Today’s Gospel (Mt 5:38-48), passages are taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us four methods of becoming holy as God is holy.
Since God is holy, we are to be holy. We are holy when we imitate the generosity of God exacting vengeance, or bearing a grudge against another. The commandment is
“You must love your neighbor as yourself”
is restricted to fellow Israelites. But Jesus broadened it to include everyone. Gentiles as well as Jews, enemies as well as friends.
Why? Because this is the way the heavenly father acts. He shows equal love towards good and bad, not because he is indifferent to morality, but because he loves without limit. St. Paul gives us a profound reason why we should respect one another; we are Temple of God. Individually and collectively the Holy Spirit dwells in us. This is also basis of our unity.
Life Messages We need to Become Holy:
1)The first methodis to abstain from all forms of retaliation.
Jesus discards even the milder form of retaliation developed by Hammurabi in ancient Babylon and passed on to Israel through Moses. The policy was one of limited, proportional retaliation (Lex Talionis, “tit-for-tat”): “an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth,” rather than allowing unlimited vengeance.
In place of this limited, proportional retaliation, Jesus gives his new law of love, grace, forgiveness, reconciliation and no retaliation. For Jesus, retaliation, or even limited vengeance, has no place in the Christian life, even though graceful acceptance of an offense requires great strength, discipline of character, and strengthening by God’s grace.
2) The second method of becoming holy as God is holy is to take the offense gracefully and love the offender.
Jesus illustrates this in three images:
“turning the other cheek,
freely giving the tunic and
adding the cloak to it and walking the extra mile.”
Jesus tells us that what makes Christians different is the grace with which they treat others, offering them loving kindness and mercy, even if they don’t deserve this treatment, as God does for us.
We are commanded to love our enemies as Jesus loves us, with agápelove, not because our enemies deserve our love, but because Jesus loves them so much that he died for them as he did for us.
3) The third method of sharing in God’s holiness is by unconditionally and whole-heartedly forgiving the offender without planning revenge in any form.
This means not only loving one’s neighbors, but also forgiving those enemies who hurt us and seem willfully to cause us suffering, hardship and unhappiness.
4) The fourth method of becoming holy as God is holy is to seal our determination to forgive our enemies by sincerely praying for their spiritual and physical welfare and for the grace needed for their conversion and renewal of life.
Thus, today’s Scripture readings challenge us to become holy as our God is holy by loving, forgiving, and blessing others, even our enemies with graceful and magnanimous love, as our Holy God does.
Amen…
Wishing you and Your Family a Year Filled with Holiness and Grace!
Have a Blessed Week,
Fr. Nathan
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Past Messages from Father Nathan
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | March 28, 2021
Holy Week is also called “Passion Week” begins on Palm Sunday and continues to Easter Sunday. Holy Week provided an opportunity for all the faithful to reflect on their personal sinfulness and their need for Christ and His sacrifice on our behalf.
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | March 21, 2021
This is the year of Saint Joseph December 8, 2020, is the 15th anniversary of the Declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter entitled Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”).
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | March 14, 2021
What is Holy Mass?
What we do and why do we do this?
Vatican II, bulletin 1324 said the following: – The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” 136 ‘the other sacraments and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented towards it.
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | March 7, 2021
What is the Sacrament of Confession? Why do we need confession? What are the benefits of going to confession? The Sacrament of Confession is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of Catholicism. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God, our neighbors, and the Church.
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | February 28, 2021
The Mysteries of our Faith. As the Lenten Season has started please make all the efforts possible to participate in the liturgy and other pious activities of the church. These are the ways and means we are able to understand the mystery of Christ…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | February 21, 2021
We have just started the Lenten season. It’s one of the most precious and holiest seasons of the year… Let us try to know Christ and let us try to understand him. Please, make an effort to talk to Him and with Him through the readings of the scripture, praying the rosary as a family,