SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 2024

SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 2024

Deut. 30:15-20; Ps.1; Luke 9:22-25

Do not sit opposite the Truth

In today’s first reading, Moses put before the people life and good on the one and, death and evil on the other hand. Thereafter, he advised that the people should choose life and good. Ordinarily, it may seem as if the advice was unnecessary because every sane person will always choose good and life. By nature, man goes for what is best for him. Yet, Moses’ admonition is not out of place because, in as much we ordinarily know how to go for what is best for us, we differently define what actually constitute this goodness. What is good to one may not be good to the other. If we are to understand Moses’ advice on this ground, it would mean that we should individually go for what is good for us. But that was not Moses’ point.

Moses first defined the objective goodness that is not dependent on any individual perception or choice. It is this goodness that he advised that we choose; infact, whatever is contrary to this goodness is what he called evil and death. It is the goodness of obeying the commandments of God. Whatever we do, say or conceive that is in consonance with God’s commandment is automatically good, irrespective of how others may feel about it or how inconveniencing it may be. On the other hand, whatever is contrary to God’s commandment is evil and leads to death no matter how pleasurable and appealing it may be and no matter the level of popularity it has acquired.

The point here is that in Christianity, we do not determine the way, we simply follow the way or not. Today, many Christians have not only chosen death and evil, they have further tried to redefine the commandments so that their choice (of death and evil) will be in consonance with the commandment (as they have redefined it). In this way, it will look as if they have not done anything wrong. Beloved, it is never the prerogative of the student to set the examination questions. If a student sees that he is not able to correctly answer the questions before him, and then goes on to answer another question he knows but was not asked by the teacher, the student will write so well on something that is of no interest to the teacher. There is no mark for such effort.

Similarly, we cannot successfully change the Lord’s commandments; we are either keeping them or not. As part of our Lenten exercise today, let us examine ourselves to discover those areas of our lives where we have made ourselves comfortable in sinning by redefining the commandments. Let us tell ourselves the truth and begin to live by this single truth. The truth is bitter but only to those who sit opposite it. Sit well, and the truth will be pleasing to you.