HOMILY: 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR B

HOMILY: 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: GOD IS REAL–ARE–WE?

BY: FR. ANTHONY CHUKWUEBUKA OHAEKWUSI 

When love is real, it manifests itself in everything you do. You can’t love what I offer and hate me at the same time. Of course, we see this in many relationships where someone enjoys the benefits, but hates the benefactor. The same thing happens when someone says they love freedom and democracy, but joins extremists like ISIS to fight against their own democratic country. When we preach freedom of worship, but hate religion. When we give help and aid to the less fortunate, not to improve their situation, but to make us feel greater than they are. When a child tells his parents: “I hate you,” yet loves to use their insurance and credit cards. Think about this, words are not true until they are reflected in our actions.

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There is a story about an atheist who wanted his child to go to a Catholic high school to get a good education because of the low standard in public schools. So he gave him a Catholic name and instructed him to get the education and not be Catholic. But during the entrance exam, the only question on the paper was: “Say I believe in God” i.e. the Apostle’s Creed. The boy, however, wrote nothing and failed the exam. The examiner was curious why he didn’t write anything. And when she asked him why he didn’t pass, he replied: “I don’t believe in God.” Then the examiner told him: “You can only be admitted to the school if you pass the exams.”

We face this admission exam everyday of our lives. God loves us even before our first contact with Him, and then He puts this question to us as Jesus did to peter, do you love me? Our actions reveal the answer that determines our admission whether we choose him or not. Many times we portray ourselves as people who love and trust God, while in reality we use God when it is convenient and beneficial for us. The disciples were curious about whether Saul was real or fake. They couldn’t believe that he had become one of them until they saw him preaching the gospel at the risk of his own life. Only then did they rise up to save his life. Whenever we sincerely express that we are in God, He comes all out for us in our situations. If we give Him all of ourselves, He will give us all of Himself. Like a branch of the vine, we will flourish like the whole tree if we remain in Him. For He is the whole vine, and we are His branches. He is important to us, just as we are important to Him. So let our confession not be just words, like taking a Catholic name, we must show it in our actions. Faith is not a partial commitment for convenience; it is a total offering of oneself to God’s providence. God is not just useful to us, He is very important. You cannot say you are a Christian if you do not reflect Christ in your life. For if you cut off the word “CHRIST” from the word “CHRISTIAN,” you are left with the letters “IAN,” which says: “I Am Nothing.”

Remain lifted and have a great Sunday

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