Homily Thirtieth Sunday Year A Action must follow knowlege
Homily for
Thirtieth Sunday Year A
Reading 1:
In the first reading, God reminded the people of the Old Testament, and he
reminds us today, not to forget what God has done for them and us. Take a
moment to reflect on the many blessings you have received from the Lord. The
implication of the message is that we are to do for others what God has done
for us.
God
delivered his Chosen People from the bondage of slavery and led them through
the desert to the Land of Promise. There they experienced freedom, peace and
abundance of food. God delivered us from the bondage of sin through the waters
of baptism. He has likewise provided for us a rich, spiritual inheritance. Thus,
we are called first to remember what God has and is doing in our lives. Then we
are reminded to act accordingly to others.
Basically,
the prophet is reminding us of the Ten Commandments. This is to be our code of
conduct in life. To the extent God has loved us and provided for us, so we are
to love and provide for others. Justice and charity are to be fulfilled.
Sometimes we exact justice from others but fail in charity and mercy. At the same time, we ask for charity and mercy
from God, not justice. We fail to remember the scripture adage: The measure
with which you measure will be measured back to you.
Gospel: To
know the truth and to live by the truth are two different things. Some of the
Pharisees would recite the great Shema at least three times a day. The
difference was that Jesus both knew the Commandments of love and lived them.
When Jesus
is challenged, He doesn’t bat an eye or hesitate to answer the question of his attacker.
Love of God and love of neighbor together incorporates all that God has
commanded us to do in response to his love for us. For many people of his day,
the Ten Commandments were more of a burden and obligation because many human
precepts were attached to them by others.
The key word
is love. Jesus simplifies our relationship to God and to others by this one
word or action. If we are not motivated by love then our actions are meaningless
in regards our eternal salvation. But if we do everything out of love, then we
don’t have to wonder about our eternal salvation.
Paul
captured this in his hymn of love. St. Therese of Lisieux discovered this key
to all her questions and concerns. She chose to do everything out of love. That
choice did not depend on the person or the situation. To simplify our lives we
can live out the commandments by doing all things out of love.
Reading 2:
Paul recognized that the converts in Thessalonica accepted his preaching of the
Word of God with the joy of the Holy Spirit, even when they experienced
afflictions and negative reactions from others. They became imitators of the
Lord by loving. In turn, they shared and witnessed their new found faith. They
were not ashamed of the Gospel. They followed and lived its precepts and way of
life in love, as they awaited the return of the Lord.
Today, would
Paul praise us in the same way? How do we receive the Word of God each time we
hear it or read it? Does our life reflect the way of holiness and love
announced in the scriptures? Are we imitating Christ as they did? When Christ
calls us to himself will he find faith in him in us?
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