HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF EASTER

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF EASTER

Acts 15:7-21; Ps.96; John 15:9-11

What matters most is keeping the Commandments

The Church in Jerusalem sat to consider the issue of circumcision of the gentiles. Now, the issue was: should the gentiles be circumcised before they can become members of the Christian community? Since for the Jews, circumcision was in line with their covenantal relationship with God, can someone become God’s without being circumcised? To resolve this issue, the apostles and elders simply paid attention to experience; that is, to what the Lord was saying to them all through their evangelization of the gentiles.

Peter first narrated how the Lord commissioned him to preach to the gentiles. As he preached to them, the Lord gave them the Holy Spirit, the same way the Spirit was given to the Jewish believers. Peter noted: “God made no distinction between us and them”. Thereafter, Paul and Barnabas narrated the signs and wonders God had done among them through the gentiles. This means that just as the Lord was working miracles through the disciples, he also did through the gentiles.

After these have spoken, James made a consensus. It was clear from the evidences and testimonies that God had already accepted the gentile converts. In their uncircumcision, God was already doing with and through them, what He was also doing with and through the Jewish Christians. Therefore, the latter had no basis to claim superiority or to subject the former into any ritual of acceptance. The point is, the early Church made it clear that they have no reason to reject or persuade anyone that the Lord had clearly chosen already. To do so will amount to doing ones will as against God’s will.

What is most important is that all believers keep God’s commandments. The commandments are binding on all equally. No one is excused to give lesser commitment to the keeping of the commandments. In the gospel reading, Jesus says that there can be no love without keeping the commandments. So, let us be mindful of those moments when we are tempted to be obstinate in sins while trusting in the mercy of God. We think that because God loves us, we can be understood for not repenting. Beloved, we will be deceiving ourselves by holding on to a love that we have rejecting through unrepentant hearts.

Today, many of us are like those insisting on the circumcision of the gentiles; we see so well what others have not done rightly, while we excuse ourselves of our own faults. Everyone seem to have a historical and detailed account of how another caused the problem in the church, society, family, office, etc; no one is saying: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. But know this: no one can successfully change another or a system if he/she has not first worked on him/herself. The change begins with me!