4TH SUNDAY HOMILY, YEAR B – LENT 

4TH SUNDAY HOMILY, YEAR B – LENT 

THEME: Stopping at Nothing

BY: Fr Anthony C Ohaekwusi

This Sunday is Laetare Sunday (Rejoice Sunday), a day we rejoice in hope that the light of Easter is in sight. It is reminiscent of a flash of light after a long power outage. If you let me ask you, how would you feel if you experienced a power outage at night for many hours in your community? The feeling varies from person to person, especially considering where someone is from. It is frightening for those who have stable electricity and had to experience this once in a lifetime; they would do anything to make sure it didn’t happen again. One of my friends, who lived in Texas when the 2021 blackout happened, told me, “It felt like Nigeria”, but I doubt he was right, because this power outage, which became a 3-day tragedy in Texas, is a daily occurrence for people living in Nigeria who are used to power outages. In places with stable electricity, people leave the power switched off to save on costs, as opposed to places without stable electricity, where the switch remains on in anticipation. I remember the usual ecstatic feeling that causes people in Nigeria to shout “up NEPA!” every time they see a flash of light after a long period of darkness. This shows that even with the apparent normalization of this darkness, we keep the power switch on because of the hope that one day the light will shine; it keeps everyone alive because help is on the way.

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The people of Israel normalized their unfaithfulness to the point that they mocked God’s messengers. They celebrated evil under the cover of darkness. The normalization of evil makes good seem strange and unpopular. But the hope of light shows that darkness is not normal. So God will not back down from anything to rescue us from the darkness of sin, just as He did with Israel, not even sparing His only son to rescue us from the bondage of negativity. In a world where standing up for God is no longer popular, God does not seek to be famous, but only shows that He is always generous to save us from anything dangerous. That’s why He never gives up on us, even when we give up on ourselves.

Darkness becomes normal not because there is no light in sight, but because we have closed our eyes to the light. Just as God’s light stands out and dispels all darkness, so goodness stands out even in the midst of overwhelming evil. Therefore, he calls us to recognize this light with outstretched arms to save us from our fears, weaknesses, addictions and sinfulness. All we have to do is grasp onto it and be saved. Darkness cannot overshadow the light, nor can weakness overcome strength. Since God will not back down from anything to give us the grace of His light, let us not back down from anything to open our eyes and regain our sight.

Our blindness is not a lack of God’s light, but a lack of our own sight. So His grace makes us recognize that evil is not normal, and we cannot give in or give up the fight when help is always in sight

Remain lifted and do have a great Sunday

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