HOMILY, FRIDAY OF THE 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR [MEMORIAL]
[Ignatius succeeded St Peter as bishop of the church in Antioch. While on his way to Rome, where he was put to death by being thrown to wild beasts in the amphitheatre, he wrote seven letters to various church communities in which he encouraged Christians to be faithful to their calling and to be strong in the face of persecutions. He was martyred during the reign of Trajan in 107.] {Daily Missal}
Eph 1:15-23, Luke 12:8-12
The Holy Spirit is our guide. He directs our path and guide our ways. However, when we choose our own ways, and refuse to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we will never recognize our faults. No sin is greater than when we take our lives into our own hands. The moment sinful ways become very sweet, remorse will no longer be an issue, and the need for repentance will be jettisoned. God cannot forgive a sinner who does not recognize his sins.
The Lord said in today’s gospel, “everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
In the gospel of Saints Matthew and mark, this statement comes after the Jesus’s power was attributed to Beelzebub. It is a statement of caution for those who consciously deny the power of God simply because, they are not ready to meet his demands.
On the other hand, our recognition of God’s power and commands merit us the presence of the Holy Spirit, who pleads for us in times of trouble. It was the spirit that gave St Ignatius the strength to encourage his flock even while he was in prison and in the face of death.
May the Lord grant us enough of his spiritual sensitivity that we always recognize him in action. And may is Spirit never depart from us in Jesus name, Amen.
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