💖 HOMILY - NOVEMBER 17 💖

First Reading - Apocalypse 5:1-10 

Gospel - Luke 19:41-44

What is the most painful thing in life? It's to miss an opportunity and later on dawns on a realization that we could have done it better. We might have missed so many opportunities in lives and later even might have have regretted over the missed chance. All the same, we can't get back to the past opportunity but we can certainly decide not to repeat the same again. This also is same with our spiritual life. The readings of the day invite us to set our gaze on Jesus with hope as He is the victorious King. Above all, He also restores us our lost grace.

The gospel engulfs us with sober feeling. It's so because Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem. Why so? It's because Jerusalem did not recognise the opportunity offered by God through the prophets and at last through the arrival of Jesus himself. They missed the opportunity given to them, thus they have to face a coarse fact of destruction of the city itself consequently. Jesus explained the destruction of the city as a punishment from God because its inhabitants had failed to recognize the time of their visitation. In other words, Jerusalem had closed her doors, and her inhabitants had closed their hearts, to the salvific coming and message of the Redeemer. In spite of Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry among the Chosen people, they had largely rejected him, and their leaders were planning to crucify him.

The first reading throws light on the fact that we are not completely doomed but a ray of hope has emerged in the victorious lamb who has restored us what was lost that is our salvation. The lamb is victorious because that is slain but is standing. He is the source of hope and consolation for us.

Dear friends, we have missed many chances in life, but missing the chance of salvation is tragic. We can learn from those occasions where we have missed an opportunity that brought so much of sorrow to us but if we miss the chance of the ultimate purpose of life, how much painful that situation will be!

God, in His mercy, has given us hope in Jesus that we can be saved, let's not miss it. How can we jump at this opportunity?

Firstly, by always paying attention to the opportunities offered to us by God. He speaks to us through events, incidents, and failures of our lives. They are not to discourage us but to impart a lesson and guide our path.

Secondly, let's never miss to jump at the opportunity given to us to perceive the principles of life enshrined in the scriptures, because the word of God is active and alive. It's still effective even if it's more than 2000 years old. May God enlighten us so that we may not miss the opportunity of salvation.