Homily: August 18, 2023, Friday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary time (Ought to accept).

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"Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

Many people cannot accept what the Catholic Church teaches. And the world says the Catholic Church is very traditional and does not follow the trends of the world.

What are some of the trends of the world?

Divorce. Same gender union.

The world celebrates individualism and freedom of choice. The world says it is ok for anyone to decide and choose who to marry, to divorce, and to marry again.

Well, the Church does not prohibit anyone from making such decisions, but she provides her teachings according to natural law, the law of God to guide our decisions.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that the original plan of God for marriage is between a man and a woman. God’s plan for marital union is lifelong, is pure and life-giving, not for selfish desires but for the greater glory of God. 

And so the church teaches that marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred union, it reflects the union of Jesus and His church, it is a sacrament, it is indissoluble. Anyone is free to choose to follow this law. By choosing to be baptized into the church, is to agree to this law. And no one is forced into baptism, no one is forced to agree.

And thus, Jesus says, “Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

We welcome everyone into our church, just as Jesus welcomed everyone into His circle. But Jesus does not compromise sacred tradition, He upholds, respects and loves the plan of his Father, which has never changed since the world began. 

And He invites and welcomes everyone to embrace the same.

So we too cannot change to become like the world. Just as Jesus did not bend to please the Jewish authorities, He challenged them to go back to the root of God’s commandments.

Our mission is to bring the world to God’s ways, not to change God’s ways to meet the world’s ambitions. We welcome everyone to join us in this mission, we exclude no one. But whoever cannot accept God’s ways, have naturally excluded themselves.

"Whoever can accept this ought to accept it." Amen


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