HOMILY FOR THE 18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C
THEME: “AND THIS HOARD OF YOURS, WHOSE WILL IT BE THEN?”
BY: Fr. Cajetan Anyanwu
HOMILY FOR SUNDAY JULY 31 2022
This Sunday is the 18th in ordinary time. Many countries of the world today are experiencing high inflation. Most individuals use the opportunity to hoard goods while others are starving. The question staring all of us on the face is: How much wealth do we need to make heaven? Another big question is, shall we live in this world forever? Or shall our wealth buy everlasting life for us? The answer is clear. “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!” (Eccl. 1:2;2:21-23). You cannot eat your cake and have it. Our toils, our greediness, our killings to acquire political power, our fights and avarice of all kinds are wasted efforts without God.
In order to excel and make heaven, we must not rely on earthly things. For us to go to heaven Paul teaches: “This is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life” (Col. 3:1-5. 9- 11). The joy of earthly life is temporary but heavenly joy is everlasting. Those who rely only on earthly things worship false god and are liars. True children of God may lack many earthly things but they are happy because they put on the new image of the author of life.
Children of the Kingdom have no fear of where they are going to. They do not need body guards nor do they use siren as they move. They trust in God and do not need to store treasures on earth where thieves break into and steal. They understand that ” Vanity of vanities. All is Vanity.” They also know that some day God might say to those who rely on their wealth, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” ( Lk. 12:13-21). May we be given the wisdom to know the shortness of our eartly life and focus on being with God forever in heaven, amen. Happy Sunday.
Fr. Cajetan Anyanwu
