Two-Minute Homily by Dcn Paul Jensen for the Fourth Sunday of Lent 2024.
“We are invited to receive God’s gift of grace in Christ; to humbly open ourselves to God’s transcendent and sacred presence in our lives.”
- Two-Minute Homily Transcript
Two-Minute Homily Transcript
Author: Archdiocese of Brisbane
Last year’s corporate governance failures by the big four accounting firms raised the question of whether institutional failure, whatever the institution, is due to poor organisational culture or individual character. Now, our first reading, which records a litany of Israel’s institutional failures that results in it’s decimation, suggests that it’s both. However, while taking action to improve poor culture and moral character are necessary for addressing institutional failure, our second reading and the Gospel hint that these actions are not sufficient.Ephesians states that ‘it is grace that we are saved by faith’. And the Gospel tells us that God’s grace and faith expressed through his ‘only begotten Son’ saves us. It is tempting, on this Fourth Sunday in Lent, to assume that our self-denial and our discipline, our efforts to improve culture and moral character will save us, will arrest institutional failure and decline. Be it in our families, our organisations, our church, our political parties, or nation. Now, while ‘our efforts’, are necessary, Ephesians and the Gospel remind us that they are not sufficient.
So, this Lenten weekend, we are invited to receive God’s gift of grace in Christ; to acknowledge and relinquish our unhealthy need for control, check our egos and humbly open ourselves to God’s transcendent and sacred presence in our lives.