💖 HOMILY - JANUARY 26 💖

REPUBLIC DAY OF INDIA

First Reading - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Second Reading - 1Timothy 2:1-6

Gospel - John 8:31-35

Our nation celebrates today the Republic Day; a day to take pride of being republic nation for having the most elaborate Constitutions in the world. Being a Republic nation means we are free to have our government of the people, for the people and by the people. This shows our external freedom. The readings of today tell us that we can be externally free but we can become internally a slave. We need to possess the truth in Jesus to become internally free.

The first reading recalls the consistent failure of the people of Israel to keep the covenant made by God with them. Jeremiah reassures the people that out of goodness of God, He has rewritten the covenant in the hearts of everyone. The covenant of the old or the Sinai covenant has been broken by the people but a new covenant that God will establish will be written in the hearts of everyone; the covenant which will be made with every individual.

The second reading underlines the universal plan of God for salvation. The universal plan of salvation of God entails that God in his goodness wants everyone to be saved. God doesn't want anyone to be lost but everyone to be saved. Paul, in this letter, emphasizes that the gift of salvation is possible through Jesus Christ alone who is the only mediator and truth for the humanity. It's by possessing this truth, people can be saved.

The gospel of today tells us how can we possess the truth and receive the gift of salvation. The truth that Jesus speaks about is himself as contained in his word. Jesus tells Jews that they can become the disciples of him and remain in the truth if his words remain in their hearts. It's the words of Jesus that can set all free from the clutches of sin. 

Dear friends, we are called to freedom in Jesus. However, we know that knowingly or unknowingly we fall in the trap of slavery due to our inclination to sin. We break our covenantal relationship with God time and again like the people of Israel in the first reading but we are given assurance that we have a hope in Jesus for our liberation. We have to possess Jesus in his word to become free from the slavery of sin and become redeemed. Jesus has offered us the gift of salvation but we have to appropriate it. We can become slave to sin by our addictions, our compelling desires for flesh, greed for money, position, possession etc. All the same, we can be liberated from the clutches of the dark world by allowing the truth and the word of Jesus to make home in us. Jesus liberates us today by his words and his presence in our hearts which is the new covenant God promised through the prophet Jeremiah. If Jesus and his words dwell in our hearts we will never break our relationship with God and will remain free in Jesus.

Let's allow Jesus and his words to make home in our hearts so that we may become liberated persons in him.