HOMILY FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C (3)

HOMILY FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

THEME: Be Like Lambs Among Wolves

BY: Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA.

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY JULY 3 2022

In Luke 9:1-6, we read of the first missionary journey of the twelve apostles, the forerunners of our bishops. And in t

HOMILY FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

THEME: Be Like Lambs Among Wolves

BY: Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA.

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY JULY 3 2022

 

 

In Luke 9:1-6, we read of the first missionary journey of the twelve apostles, the forerunners of our bishops. And in today’s Gospel text (Luke 10:1–9), Jesus calls seventy-two more disciples and sends them on a similar mission. In these two missions, we see the hierarchical structure of the New People of God beginning to take shape. Jesus is at the top of the pyramid, and his Twelve Apostles come next, and beneath them there is another level of ministers, which is represented by the seventy-two disciples.

The term “hierarchy” is simply a fancy word for “sacred origin.” It has traditionally been used to describe the levels of sacramental authority within the Catholic Church. The Sacrament of Holy Orders consists of three levels: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate. Hierarchy simply means that a bishop, priest, and deacon derive their authority from the sacred, the sacrament, rather than from themselves.

Thus, ordination subjects the ordained to the mystery of Christ and transforms him into a servant of Christ. And it is only as a servant of Christ that he can carry on the mission of evangelization entrusted by Christ to his Church. Because whoever enters the Sacred Order of the Sacrament, the hierarchy, doesn’t become independent of Christ and his Church. Instead, they form a new bond of loyalty and dependence on Christ and his Church.

Additionally, every baptized person is called to share in this mission of evangelization. That is to say, the mission of evangelization is not limited to bishops, priests, and deacons. Rather, both the clerics, the consecrated men and women, and the laity have an important role in building up the Kingdom of God. And the missions of the twelve (Luke 9:1-6) and the seventy-two (Luke 10:1-9) bear witness to the universal call to evangelization. Also, Jesus set up a model for mission and evangelization for all his followers that is based on the ideas of effectiveness and multiplication.

In today’s gospel passage, for instance, he gave the seventy-two missionaries some guidelines on how to carry out their mission of evangelization. They include carrying no money bag, no sack, no sandals; greeting no one along the way; being like lambs among wolves; proclaiming peace to whatever house they enter; staying in the same house and eating and drinking what is offered to you; not moving about from one house to another; curing the sick and saying to them, “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.”

Being a lamb among wolves stands out among the missionary guidelines. Because being a lamb among wolves is a “New Evangelization” strategy that we must employ urgently in our modern society. Pope John Paul II remarked in his encyclical “REDEMPTORIS MISSION” that, from the perspective of evangelization, we may discern three situations in our current society. They include Mission Ad Gentes, Pastoral Care of the Faithful, and New Evangelization.

Mission Ad Gentes is a missionary effort oriented towards people or groups who do not yet believe in Christ, and whose culture has not yet been impacted by the Gospel. Pastoral Care of the Faithful is the ongoing evangelization directed at Christian communities that are already fervent in faith and have solid ecclesiastical structures. New Evangelization is a situation “where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a ‘new evangelization’ or a ‘re-evangelization’” writes Pope John Paul II.

Currently, everyone knows someone who was once baptized but who no longer practices the faith. Our missionary endeavors should be centered on “re-proposing” the Gospel to fallen-away Christians and those who are experiencing a crisis of faith, especially due to secularization. Additionally, we could be confronted with situations in which the Gospel seems to not reflect our everyday realities. This is where the strategy of becoming “lambs among wolves” comes into play.

When Jesus says, “Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3), he was using the imagery of lambs and wolves to convey a valuable truth about missionary activity. As we know, lambs cannot defend themselves in the presence of wolves. Obviously, lambs are no match for wolves. In fact, lambs without the help of their shepherd are helpless. Because they can’t protect themselves, they must depend on the shepherd for everything and long to be with him.

With the image of the lambs among wolves, Jesus reveals to us how helpless we are in the face of secularization without him. So, it is now time we recognize that Jesus is the master of the harvest, and apart from him, we are helpless in the face of secularization, like lambs among wolves.

We must deepen our faith in Jesus Christ in order to bear fruit in the mission of evangelization entrusted to us, re-evangelize fallen Christians, and win the battle against secularization. It is only when we are deeply rooted in our faith that we can evangelize and re-propose the Gospel to our brothers and sisters who are experiencing a crisis of faith. As it is said, “Nemo dat quod non habet,” that is, “no one gives what he doesn’t have.”

Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA.
Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 3, 2022

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