Homily for Friday of 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II (3)

Homily for Friday of 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II

Theme: The mission of every Christian

By: Fr. Francis Onwunali

Homily for Friday January 21 2022

MEMORIAL OF ST. AGNES

On this 21st day of January, we celebrate the memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. At a tender age of 13, she bravely accepted death by torture instead of defiling her body. She said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, that she would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ. On her feast day two lambs are blessed at her Church in Rome, and their wool is woven into the pallium which the Pope confers on Archbishops as symbol of their jusrisdiction. Today, dear friends, we celebrate purity and chastity.

The readings of today remind us that those God calls, God protects and provides for them along the path of realizing their mission. The first reading (1 Sam. 24: 3-21) gives account of David’s relationship with Saul. Saul is out to kill David, however, when Saul falls into David’s hands, David did not revenge but spared Saul’s life. God will surely see you triumph in the presence of your enemies if you put your trust in God and ready to do God’s will.

Jesus, in the gospel (Mark 3: 13-19) calls the twelve as companions in His ministry. He charged them with the task of preaching the Kingdom of God and healing the sick in the power of that Kingdom.

Dear friends, we all have been called for mission by virtue of our baptism. Like the Apostles, we are called not for who or what we are, but for what we would be capable of becoming under God’s direction and power. The Lord takes what ordinary people, like us, can offer and uses it for greatness in God’s Kingdom. Are you ready to be an instrument in God’s hand?

I pray as we journey in life today, we will realize like David in the first reading, that God’s love supersedes every negative force that may come our way, and to love God is to obey and do God’s will. May we live in gratitude to God for entrusting into our care the precious message of eternal life. May we give glory to God by bearing witness to the Gospel in words and deeds. Have a mission-oriented-full day!

Fr. Francis Onwunali