28th Sunday homily of ordinary time year b inspires us on the theme of eternal life. Homily includes bible quotations and moral story to support the homily. Whoever preaches the homily can include those elements to make their homily rich.
1. Beautiful Eternal Life Bible Verses For Homily for homily
2. Moral story – “The Rich Merchant and the Treasure” for homily
Mass Readings For 28th Sunday Homily of Ordinary Time Year B
Wis 7:7-11, Heb 4:12-13, Mk l0:17-30
1st Reading – Wisdom 7:7-11
7 I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
8 I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
9 nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
10 Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
11 Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
13 Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
14 Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
15 Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
16 Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
17 and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
2nd Reading – Hebrews 4:12-13
Brothers and sisters:
12 Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
13 No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
Alleluia – Matthew 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel – Mark 10:17-30
17 As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
19 You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.”
20 He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
22 At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
28 Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
30 who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”
Moral Story For the 28th Sunday Homily Year B
The Rich Merchant and the Treasure
This is a moral story of “The Rich Merchant and the Treasure” which could be used for moral teachings.
Once, in a prosperous town, there lived a wealthy merchant named Darius. He had everything he desired—lavish clothes, fine food, and a large mansion. One day, he heard about a hidden treasure deep in the mountains. Though he had plenty, the idea of more wealth consumed him. Continue to Read . . .
Homily: 28th Sunday Homily of Ordinary Time Year B
Your Money or your Life?
“Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven” (Mile)
A rich businessman was waylaid by a robber at gunpoint who said, “Your money or your life!” Mad after money, the victim replied, “Take my life. I’m saving my money for my old age!” Crazy as this sounds. the rich youth in today’s gospel is not different from this victim. The youth comes to Jesus with a request, “What must l do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus bids him choose between Mammon and the Master, between money and Life. He chooses money, forsakes the Master, and forgoes Life. What would you choose?
While Mark’s gospel speaks of a “man” who “ran up” to Jesus, the gospel of Matthew describes him as “young” (19:20), and Luke speaks of him as a “ruler” (18: 18). We can assume that the man was young, rich and influential. His act of running to Jesus shows his eagerness to meet Jesus and attain Life. Jesus puts him to the first test – asking whether he has observed the dictates of the Decalogue (‘Ten Commandments’). The youth replies, “Master, I have kept all these (laws) from my earliest days.” The youth passes Jesus’ first test, 100%.
The gospel says, “Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him.” Jesus’ look of love leads to the second test, the supreme one – now, not pertaining to laws and obedience, but requiring great love and action: “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Picture the scene 4- “his face fell and he went away sad.” The lure of wealth puts paid to his enthusiasm about eternal life.
As compared to this rich, sad youth, there’s a rich, glad youth revered by people of all faiths, worldwide. Born in Assisi and baptized ‘Giovanni’, his wealthy father, a cloth merchant, added the name ‘Francesco’ and wanted him to inherit the family business. But, young Francesco took Jesus’ words seriously. Not only did he hand over his inheritance and fine attire to the poor, but he also embraced ‘Lady Poverty’ lifelong to give himself fully to God. His biography ‘The Perfect ‘Joy of St Francis is one of the finest books I’ve read. Was Francis of Assisi poor? Rich? One thing is sure: he was never sad.
What’s the difference between the gospel’s rich man and, say, Francis of Assisi? Both were young, rich, enthusiastic and energetic. Both had deep desires for discipleship. But, one grabs money, loses Life; the other gives up money, saves Life. Indeed, wise disciples can make the words of today’s first reading their own: “Wisdom came to me. I esteemed her more than sceptres and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing.” Lady Wisdom loves Lady Poverty!
Why do riches take us away from following Christ? Riches have a tremendous hold over the human heart. They can take the place of God. Worse still, riches might make us, believe that we are gods to be wooed and worshipped. The Times of India newspaper recently reported that Baptist preacher Rev. Bob Harrington has accused former Baptist preacher, Joe Simpson, for “replacing his faith in the Lord with love of money, which is the root of all evil.” Joe has stopped preaching and is now managing the finances of his famous singer-daughters, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, who are allegedly, “using sex to sell their music.”
A wealthy miser fell seriously sick and was supposedly dead. Being carried to the cemetery, he regained consciousness, sized up the situation and said to himself: “I’d better stay put – or else I’ll have to bear the funeral expenses!” How often I’d rather foolishly save my money and lose my life!
Jesus called the rich young man to give up his wealth. Today, He calls you to give up something or someone else very dear to you. Are you ready to accept the challenge and make the sacrifice? Your money or Life?