My Homily on Matthew 11: Part 1

Prayer:

Lord of the heavens and the earth, have mercy on us sinners, and permit us to be worthy to read, hear and obey the Gospel according to Saint Matthew Chapter 11.

Homily:

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities (verse 1).

The Gospel is the good news. It goes a little something like this, God was made flesh, He wants you to repent, He has forgiven you of your sins, you need sin no more and He will bestow you with eternal life. In verses 20-24 of this chapter, we find out that certain cities do not accept His message, and that certain do. The story has not changed today in 2014 Ano Domini. Please accept His message.

the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me (verses 5-6).

 Jesus, of Nazareth , is the God of all. But, He specifically targets the afflicted, those in strife and suffering.* The blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, the dead and the poor were all afflicted outcasts. They were the Others.** Otherization is when you treat a fellow child and creation of God, made in His holy image, as less than you or your friends. Because you owe all to God, you owe Him your service. Your job is to follow His footsteps in aiding the blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, the dead and the poor of today. Be creative, and think about which people you see in society that are ostracized and bullied. Who are the Others today? Are they the overweight? The short in stature? The pimply? Those who cannot afford Michael Kors purses and Michael Jordan's shoes?*** Those who are terrible at sports? Seriously, be creative. I cannot do all the work for you.

Whenever you hear of the poor or the rich in the holy scriptures, do not bind your thinking to the paper currencies of this world. You could be poor in intellect, in compassion, in strength and many other fields. If your sister is lacking in anything, bring the good news to her. Remember, you are duty bound to do so.

Jesus is the Word of God, and so is the Holy Book. It is a double-edged sword, and a recoiling shotgun, that injures the reader and listener alike. Beware. The Holy Book tells us that we are all guilty of sin, and are not doing enough for the kingdom of the heavens. Do not be offended by His good news, and He will bless you. Repent, and do as much as you can for Jesus' kingdom.


Post Scriptum:

*Nazareth was a town with a tarnished name during the 1st century
**Lame has a different meaning in this context than the slang term banal today
***Michael is the name of the archangel (boss of the angels) of the archangels. His Hebrew name, in the American language, means who is like God? It is a rhetorical question, with the evident answer being no one. In Lisaneh Gihihz (the tongue of the free) it is መኑ ፡ ከመ ፡ አምላክ ።, and in Amharic it is ማን ፡ እንደ ፡ አምላክ ።