Homily For Friday of the First Week of Lent Year B, 23rd February, 2024

Readings:  Ezek. 18:21-28, Ps.130, Matt. 5:20-26

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

UNDERSTANDING THE APPLICATION OF GOD’S MERCY AND JUSTICE

 

Most of the time, we often find it difficult to understand the way God operates, especially as regards to his relationship with humanity. This is because humanity has failed to understand how God’s mercy and justice are applicable in our relationship with him and with one another. Little wonder, today in our first reading, the prophet Ezekiel demonstrated to us how God’s mercy and justice will be a standard for judging humanity.

 

Here, he made us know that those who are righteous if they fall into sin and wickedness, will be judged by those same sins they committed, and if found wanting, they will be condemned because of them. On the other hand, those who are wicked, if they repent from their wickedness and act righteously, will be pardoned and saved because of the righteousness and faith that they have shown through their repentance.

 

So when the upright man renounces his integrity to sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he has committed, for this is God’s justice in action. But when the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding, honest and holy, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die, this is God’s mercy in action. For we cannot separate God’s mercy and justice, because they are the same. The fact remains that, God is not interested in our past sinful ways, but in our present state of life.

 

Hence, Jesus in our Gospel passage today, calls us to a deeper virtue, when he said to his disciples, If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. That is, we must strive to deepen our virtue towards righteous deeds. We must become agents of peace and reconciliation. We must be a symbol of God’s mercy and justice in a world full of corruption and greed.

 

Dear friends, we are called today to experience this mercy and justice of God uniquely. Thus, we have to be vigilant always and strive to be righteous before God and man. Today, we have to make a fundamental choice to live a holy life and never to return to our sinful ways of life. We must struggle every day to grow in righteousness and never give up no matter the situation we are passing through. We should always reflect on what this justice and Mercy of God mean in our lives as we strive every day to remain faithful to God’s commandment of love and peace. 

 

LET US PRAY, as we struggle every day towards holiness and perfection, may we be guided by the Holy Spirit and strive to remain towards the path of righteousness and never go back to our sinful and ugly ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s Friday, wishing you God’s grace, mercy and favour.