HOMILY FOR 24TH TUESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
HOMILY FOR 24TH TUESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: UNITY IN DIVERSITY & DIVERSITY IN UNITY!
BY: Fr. Benedict AGBO
1 Cor 12: 12 – 31, Lk 7: 11 – 17
Since we are all baptized into one Christ and receive the one body of Christ, St Paul argues in today’s 1st reading that Christians are supposed to have a sense of unity. Selfishness and divisive tendencies are signs of a pagan and barbarian culture. I want to look at today’s call for unity in diversity from the point of view of temperaments, spiritual gifts and even from the point of view of politics.
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From the point of view of temperaments; When St Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are supposed to be one despite the fact that there are Jews, Greeks, Slaves, Men and Women, etc among them, he means to demonstrate to us the different temperamental make up of every Church group starting from the Presbyterium of a diocese, the Pastoral Council, the Deanary Council, the Parish Council, the Station Council, CMO, CWO, CYON, etc. We have different temperaments; some thinking emotionally and passionately ( like Jews), some thinking too rationally or critically (like the Greeks), some thinking so cowardly or dogmatically (like Slaves or Sycophants), some exhibiting dependent behavioural tendencies (like most African women), etc. By virtue of our Baptism and Eucharist, the onus lies on us to develop a synergy that will of necessity keep us together as different parts of the Body of Christ.
From the point of view of Spiritual gifts; St Paul reminds us that we have different kinds of gifts in the Church; both among the clergy and laity beginning from the apostles (eg the bishops, playing the highest hierarchical role of leadership), the prophets (eg the priests acting like Divine oracles to the people of God), teachers (eg parents providing guidance to their children). He now presents other charismatic gifts like miraculous and healing gifts (people who have these gifts should not be misunderstood, helpers (stewards who help to serve people, nurses, Church wardens, traffic wardens, police officers, doctors, etc), administrators (eg political leaders, traditional rulers, civil servants, etc). Finally, he mentions speakers of various tongues (intercessors and prayer warriors ). Nothing is as bad as looking at these gifts from a monolithic perspective or from the point of view of individualism or valuing their relevance in reverse order of priority. Paul asks: ‘ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? …Do all speak in tongues? The greatest problem of classical Pentecostalism is to think that all must speak in tongues/manifest some special charisms as a sign of faith, Mk 16: 17. Many of us ‘Charismatics’ still have that mentality and so wonder why their bishop does not speak in tongues.
From the point of view of politics; We can be together as a nation amidst our various cultural and religious diversities. Those who think that the solution to Nigeria’s problem is to divide us should better realize that divisive tendencies do not propagate growth in any nation. What leads to growth is peaceful tolerance of one another in the context of unity in diversity. The only thing that will save Nigeria now as a nation is the emergence of a charismatic leader who will upturn the indices of corrupt traditions in our leadership and create a new paradigm shift. We all need to make the environment fecund for the emergence of this leader. As people applauded the emergence of Jesus in today’s gospel saying: ‘A great prophet has risen among us! God has visited his people!’, may God answer the prayers of his people in Nigeria one day and send us a great leader/prophet. For the meantime, we ask God as St Francis did to make us all instruments of peace – to create an environment of unity in our diversity and diversity even in our unity both in the Church and in the wider society. May God bless you today!
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