HOMILY FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C (5)

HOMILY FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

THEME: Messengers of Peace in a Violent World

BY: Fr. Luke Emehiele Ijezie

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY JULY 3 2022

Isaiah 66:10-14
Resp.Psalm 66:1-7,16,20
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12,17-20

The message of this 14th Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical Year rings deep. We are reminded that we are sent to work for peace in the society no matter the hazards. As messen

HOMILY FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

THEME: Messengers of Peace in a Violent World

BY: Fr. Luke Emehiele Ijezie

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY JULY 3 2022

 

Isaiah 66:10-14
Resp.Psalm 66:1-7,16,20
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12,17-20

The message of this 14th Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical Year rings deep. We are reminded that we are sent to work for peace in the society no matter the hazards. As messengers of Christ, we often forget that we are sent as lambs among wolves. Jesus reminds us of this basic truth today.
In the Gospel reading from Luke 10:1-12,17-20, Jesus sends seventy-two of his disciples, two by two, on mission and gives them specific instructions. These instructions have remained important guides to missionaries all through the ages. They are powerful guides to the Church today as she ministers to a society that presents many hostile and violent faces.

The first point that strikes is the declaration that the harvest is plentiful. The disciples are sent not to plant but to harvest what God has already planted. They should never act as if they own the vineyard or farm. It all belongs to God. In fact Jesus is sending them to areas he is to visit. The mission territory belongs to Jesus, not to them.

The second point is that they are being sent as lambs among wolves. Lambs are humble and gentle animals, while wolves are violent and greedy. The disciples of Jesus must never use violent means to carry out their tasks, even when the wolves attack them. This may sound ridiculous, but that is the spirit of the Master who sends. The battle does not belong to the missionary disciples. They are servants of the Master.
The third point of reflection is that they are to bring peace to the people. Even if the people refuse to accept them, they must never respond with force. They must never force people to accept their message. They must never match violence with violence. All they should do in a thoroughly hostile environment is to leave that environment and go to another. Salvation is not by force. This is a powerful message to the Church and her ministers in our troubled time.

The fourth point of reflection is the readiness to accept what the people offer. An important aspect of this is the missionaries’ total dependence on the people of the area of mission for their upkeep. It is a matter of right to be maintained by the people for whom one labours. This makes it possible for the missionary to remain totally dedicated to the work. It also means being humble enough to live according to the level and means the people can afford: no extra baggage, but only what the people offer.

The fifth point is the quantum of success that the humble mission achieves. Even Jesus himself testifies that he saw Satan falling like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18). What a feat even when they launch no physical combat! That is what missionary Apostolate is all about. It is total obedience to the Master.

The Letter to the Colossians 3:15-16 sums it: “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Once we depart from being controlled by Christ’s peace approach, we begin to derail.
This is what Paul means when he says to the Galatians in the second reading of today: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14). The Cross teaches how a great battle is won through a nonviolent response even at the worst provocation. For Paul, peace is the portion of those who follow the rule of Christ. They are really the children of the kingdom, the ones whose names are wriiten in heaven, as Jesus tells his disciples in today’s Gospel.

This peaceful state of affairs is the new world that the Prophet Isaiah visualizes in the first reading of today from the last chapter of the book of Isaiah (66:10-14). The prophet sees a glorious future of peace for Jerusalem and her inhabitants, a peace which will flow like a river for the whole world: “For thus says the Lord: Now towards her (Jerusalem) I send peace flowing, like a river, the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees” (Isa 66:12). This text sums up the great hope progressively built up in the whole book of Isaiah. God will make all things new and his people will live in joy and peace. The great message is that God will console His suffering people with prosperity, joy and peace.

One basic truth about the God we worship is that He always fulfils His promises. We are a people of hope and we live in the sure hope that we shall enjoy this promise of lasting peace in our land despite the discouraging signs of the moment. But this peace can only come if we continue to work as messengers and preachers of peace no matter what others do and no matter the battles they wage against us.

May Christ’s message of peace continue to find a home in our hearts and in our society!

Fr. Luke Emehiele Ijezie

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