HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME. (1)

HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME.

THEME: LIKE THE JEWISH FIG TREE!

BY: Benedict Agbo (Rev Fr)

* Sir 44: 1 – 13, Mk 11: 11 – 25.

I am alarmed at Jesus’ words in today’s gospel: ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’. This sounds like a co

HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME.

THEME: LIKE THE JEWISH FIG TREE!

BY: Benedict Agbo (Rev Fr)

* Sir 44: 1 – 13, Mk 11: 11 – 25.

I am alarmed at Jesus’ words in today’s gospel: ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’. This sounds like a complete reverse of his priestly calling and duty. It was the first and the only miracle of judgment that Jesus performed; a reverse of the original blessing of the universe at creation: ‘Be fruitful and multiply’. Jesus, who all through his life manifested his power of blessing, feeding the people, healing their sicknesses, restoring their fortunes, etc, now manifested his power of destruction.

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It is a dramatized parable which Jesus worked only with the purpose of instruction indicating the coming fate of Israel – If they did not produce fruits, they shall be rendered redundant in salvation history. It is frightening to discover that the Holy Spirit (as the 3rd person of the Divinity) has not only the fire of love characteristics but the consuming fire tendency, Heb 12: 29. And so, when the Roman Army annihilated them and their city in the year 70AD, the “Jewish fig tree” was lost. They lost their State, their temple and their priesthood.

Nigeria seems to be facing similar danger today; with so much “Christianism” without much fruits of sanctity, especially among the Church leaders and political leaders. Nigerian “Christianism” as Fr Emma Onuh called it, has become more of mounting religious structures (building Parish houses and Churches); some casting and binding, others performing their seemingly dead rituals every Sunday, sometimes like rolling stones gathering no moss. The truth is not being told; some leaders are exploiting the people like complete consumerists and are not being sufficiently challenged by the preachers because they themselves are part of the exploitation game (some through preaching tithes, others through incessant weekly fund drives). Many Christians are not leading exemplary lifes and after over 16 years of failed government in the hands of Christians we are now thrown into a more gory experience in the hands of the Muslims. Have we been cursed to produce no more fruits? Are we facing the danger of destruction ( like it happened in Turkey) in the face of the present Islamic threats of Jihad and ethnic cleansing going on? Oh may God help us here in Nigeria!

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