Homily: February 17, 2022, Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

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For Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021722.cfm

St. James advised the Christian community, “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality”, with a stern warning, “if you show partiality, you commit sin…”

Is it really possible to treat everyone without partiality?

My grandfather had more than 50 grandchildren and he loved all as fairly as he could. But he had a favorite - me. He loved me very specially because we had a common interest – gardening. He often praised me for my green thumb as I am quite gifted in this area, and he valued it very much. To him, it is a great talent. He favored me so much that when he was dying, he called me to his bedside to give me his final blessing. He called no one else.

In this world, money is highly valued. And St. James was warning about the biased treatment of favoring the rich ones in the community while despising those who were poor. Being rich or poor should not differentiate the disciples from one another. Neither should it differentiate us.

Every person is a dignified child of God. He loves each of us the same, values every soul He created and cares for every one’s salvation, saint or sinner. And so, we too should value and honor every person, rich or poor.

Our goal is to walk the way of Jesus and live the life of Christ. We are to become more and more like Jesus. We are to become more and more like God in our choices, decisions and actions.

That is why when Simon Peter showed that he acknowledged only the glorious, powerful Christ but rejected the suffering, beaten Christ, Jesus rebuked him that he was like satan.

He said, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

As Christ followers, we must learn to think like God. Every person we meet is the face of Christ if we see as God sees, the dignity of the person’s soul, not the digits of his bank account.

Fulton Sheen said, “God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us.” Let us love and value one another as God does. Amen.


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Homily, Wednesday,January 5, 2022, Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

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