A Homily for Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Friday, October 25, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Ephesians 4:1-6; Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6; Luke 12:54-59
Audio Recording
“If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way…” [Luke 12:57-59]
The Church Fathers offer many different interpretations of this passage. Among them, Saint Bede says that our “opponent” can be understood to be the Word of God, in the sense that the Word of God makes war upon our weaknesses and sins. When we listen to the Word of God, our Lord will convict us of our faults so that we can reconcile our lives with the Truth of the Word of God Himself.
When you think about God’s holy Word, in its entirety, what most convicts you? Sometimes we try to downplay these personal convictions. We rationalize our actions and dismiss what God is saying to us because we don’t want to change, or because we’re afraid if we do change we’ll lose something we think we can’t live without, rather than trusting that this “loss” will bring about greater joy and peace in our lives.
Are there any teachings of Jesus you recall that have truly stung you to the heart, but that due to fear or stubbornness you continue to persist in a particular sin? God doesn’t convict our hearts so as to condemn us. Rather, He convicts us, as an opponent to our sin, so that we can “make an effort to settle the matter on the way.”
God often brings His most urgent teachings to us by causing us to feel a sense of guilt that cannot be denied. If we listen to these convictions and repent, then we won’t have to stand before the Judge. But if we do not listen, if we bury these convictions, downplay them and ignore them, then our Lord will find it necessary to keep at us. We will begin to experience His judgment, and we will see the effects of being out of His good graces.
In the end, if we fail to repent of the more serious sins in our lives, then we will even be held accountable for our smallest sins. We will be required to “pay the last penny.”
Reflect, today, upon the idea that the Word of God, all that our Lord has taught us, is the opponent of the sin in our souls. This good and holy opponent wants only what is best for us. Commit yourself to really listening to God’s holy Word so that you will be continually disposed to hear all that God wants to say to you and so that you will be able to reconcile with our Lord before your time here on earth is up; before the just judge is compelled to issue forth His judgments.