Friday of 15th Week of Ordinary Time C

Mercy and Not Sacrifice

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of yesterday’s Gospel. Yesterday, Jesus reminds us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. What is the yoke if it’s not the law? What is his law if it’s not easy law? What is easy law unless there is mercy and compassion exist? This is exactly the Lord Jesus concluded in today’s Gospel when the Pharisees, the people of the laws, accused his disciples didn’t keep the law of the Sabbath when they picked the heads of grain and ate them. To this group of Pharisees, Jesus said, “if you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.”

The Pharisees absolutely has no mercy and compassion towards Jesus’ disciples. They might be hungry and pick the heads of grain to eat. Instead of having mercy and compassion towards these hungry men, they criticize and accuse them not to keep the Sabbath law. Have you and I ever criticize or accuse someone without mercy and compassion towards them? Should we criticize or judge someone? Or because the Lord Jesus already had mercy on us to die on the cross for us to save us, so we don’t need to have mercy and compassion for one another, do we?

The prince of Satan once summoned his three young evil ones to come into the world to destroy humanity by their evil liars. Only one question, the prince asked one by one saying, “Tell me, how is your plan to destroy humanity?” The first one replied, “I will manipulate and make them believe that there is no God.” “Your plan might be successful for a fraction of humanity because deep down in their hearts, men and women already believe in God since they are created in the image and likeness of God,” the prince replied. The second young evil one said, “My plan is to make them believe that there is no hell.” “Your plan,” the prince said, “is not much better than the first one neither because deep down in their hearts, they believe that one day they will be judged justly of what and how they lived their lives on earth.” Then it came the last evil one, he said, “My plan is to make them believe in the mercy and compassion of the Lord that makes them delay of their repentance and forget about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” “Excellence!” The prince was so please and began to send them into the world.

The Lord Jesus has mercy and compassion on us, how is our response to his mercy and compassion? How would we show mercy and compassion or act with mercy and compassion toward one another on our Christian journey? The Lord has mercy and compassion on us, but have we seen ourselves the need for his mercy and compassion?



Weekday Homilies 2019

Homilies by Fr. Joseph Thang Nguyen

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