A New way of Living Homily for Monday of the 10th week in ordinary time JUNE 2023

HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 10TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

2Cor.1:1-7; Ps.34; Matthew 5:1-12

A New way of Living

Today’s gospel is the beginning of Jesus’ inaugural sermon. What is Jesus inaugurating? He is inaugurating the kingdom of God. And so, He sets out to outline the principles that govern this new kingdom as against those that govern the world. This beginning of Jesus’ inaugural sermon which is called the beatitudes, attaches blessedness to attitudes that one would have otherwise regarded as cowardice. For example, the world celebrates inordinate acquisition of wealth but Jesus attached blessing to a spirit of detachment.

It becomes obvious that a Christian cannot but remain a sign of contradiction to the world. The world does not celebrate mourning, gentility, hunger for justice, mercy, purity, serenity and longsuffering. Jesus exalts these qualities as virtues so that we may find joy in embracing them. By so doing, we will be pointing to the reality of heaven and the transience of this world.

In the first reading, Paul makes bold his experience of suffering. Paul experienced joy in suffering for Christ and the joy of the Lord was his strength (Neh.8:10). The world may have considered him unfortunate but he understood that he is deeply sharing in the life of Jesus and so is able to invite others to do the same. We cannot talk about something we have not experienced. So, if we are not busy building God’s kingdom in this world, we cannot invite others to do the same.

Animated with the power of the Holy Spirit and aided by the example and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us sincerely make effort to re-orientate our understanding of what truly makes for blessedness.