HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT

Homily for Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent

Isaiah 1:10,16-20; Matthew 23:1-12.

"To one whose way is blameless, I will show the salvation of God," is our Responsorial Psalm today. For our ways to be blameless, prophet Isaiah tells us in the first reading what we must do. "Wash yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" (Isa.1:16-17). All these can be summed up into two; cease to do evil, learn to do good.

These are not something that is difficult to do, they are within our reach to carry out  and it is doing them that we won't be like the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus warned the crowds and his disciples in today's Gospel not to emulate because though they seat on Moses' seat, they do not practise what they preach.

In an age where we prefer to be called by our title, take the high table at occasion, and lots more, Jesus tells us in today's Gospel that when it comes to the kingdom of God, not even our parents and loved ones should stand on our way. Working for our salvation should be our greatest desire, and we should do whatever it takes to realise it.

This Lenten season is an opportune time to set aside the life of luxury to embrace penance in order to discipline the flesh and empower the spirit to make choices that bring us closer to God and things of God's kingdom. The best way to go about this is to be humble because "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt.23:12).

May God grant us the grace to cease from doing evil and do good to be worthy of His eternal kingdom through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed day