Wednesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time September 20, 2023

Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Wednesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time

September 20, 2023, Luke 7: 31-35
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092023.cfm

Dancing with Jesus.

Presidential campaigns seem like they go on forever. Conservative and liberal candidates spend millions of dollars on travel and commercials. While they stayed their policies, most of what they do is bash each other.

The scribes and Pharisees were neither conservative nor liberal. They would not listen to or follow John the Baptist, who lived a very austere life and preached a call to repentance. And Jesus was too liberal for them because he ate and drank with sinners.

We can say that scribes and Pharisees were independent of God and everybody else. When Jesus forgives sinners, they would not dance because they refused to see their sinfulness and ask God’s forgiveness. Nor could they weep because they didn’t cry their hearts out for offending God and people. They were utterly indifferent to God and His ways of saving us in Jesus.

It’s so good to dance and rejoice like the angels in heaven will rejoice when one person returns to God in repentance. However, we cannot have compassion for anyone when we are so wrapped up in ourselves.

Gospel Challenge:

Let us gladly confess our sinfulness to Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and start dancing with Him. Jesus said, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do” (Luke 5:31). Then we will have compassion to dance with others.

Ignite the Fire

Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C.

Pastor

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