💖 HOMILY - JULY 7 💖

First Reading - Genesis 23:1-4,19,24:1-8,62-67

Gospel - Matthew 9:9-13

The community in which we live helps us to grow and bloom. However, there could be hiccups that can damage the spirit of communion and love among the members. The readings of the day invite us to check the hiccups in our community life that can distance the members from one another.

The first reading brings us in touch with the communitarian feeling of Abraham. He wished that Isaac should get married to one of his relations. This was to avoid any kind of adulteration with the Canaanites; at the same time, keep his race pure as promised by God and keep in touch with the original community or family.

The gospel presents hiccups that had occured in the Jewish community due to separatism or sectarianism that crept in the community. Tax collectors and others consisted of a separate group of sinners but Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees consisted of another group of the righteous. They offered sacrifices and observed the law of Moses which reckoned them righteous. However, Jesus wanted to bridge the gap of separation into unity of the community. Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea 6:6 : "I desire mercy not sacrifice". He means that mercy and forgiveness are pleasing to God for they include all people to His community and excludes no one. Hence, sacrifices without disposition of heart and inclusiveness of one another render no true praise to God.

My dear friends, we have a Christian community (This also can be of any religious communities) as a large community that consists of people from all walks of life. There could be tendencies to show the superiority of one group over the other, or divide the people into groupism according to caste, colour, intellectual capacities, hence division and separation. They are the hiccups in the community. Jesus forgives and shows his compassion or love to the sinners to overcome the confines of separation and division. It's our prerequisite to check any such tendencies that pave way to division or separation and overcome them in our communities.

May the unity of the community not be lost by our petty desires to be superior over others but may God help us to promote unity and harmony in the communities.