SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT 23RD FEBRUARY 2024

SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT 23RD FEBRUARY 2024

Ezekiel 18:21-28; Ps.130; Matt.5:20-26

True love attracts true Blessings

Every one stands the possibility of making heaven but one category of persons who cannot make heaven are those who cannot love. Heaven, being the dwelling place of God, is basically love. So those who lack the capacity to love, automatically become unfit for heaven. This inability to love is what is subtly referred to in today’s gospel reading as the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. They were people who neither understood nor practiced the law up to the point of positively impacting their environment. They merely practiced the law on the surface level. Jesus says that if we too do not practice Christianity up to the point of love, we are not practicing true Christianity.

The truth is that it is not actually in the Church that we can test our level of love because most persons seem to be at their best behaviour in Church. In fact, if the last day happens to be on a Sunday and if God is to judge with physical appearance, hell will be very scanty. But our love is proven in our day-to-day relations with others, especially at some tough situations.

The present situation of our country is such tough situation. In as much as so much blame goes to the government, we cannot deny the fact that many unscrupulous persons have hijacked the situation and are making fortunes out of it. The daily or hourly increase in the price of goods and services are partly aggravated by selfishness and manipulation. There are people who just know how to make a fortune out of every distressed situation, while blaming the government. These are veritable signs that our Christianity is not yet authentic. It seems as if the moment money is involved, we put aside all the gospel we have been hearing. If not in moments of difficulties, where and how are we going to demonstrate that we are persons of love?

So, if you are engaging in one Lenten sacrifice or the other, yet are also involved in using the economic situation of the country to manipulate others, then your righteousness is simply at the level of the Scribes and the Pharisees – a righteousness that remains unacceptable in the sight of God. Do not misjudge the fruit of dishonesty for God’s blessing. God’s blessings do not bring sorrow either to the blessed or to anyone. So, if someone else’s sorrow/pain is the cause of your joy, then you are not really blessed. Be loving and you will be blessed.