HOMILY FOR THE 19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C
THEME: WE ARE STEWARDS, NOT OWNERS OF WHAT GOD CREATED
Fr. Arthur Ntembula
HOMILY FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 7 2022
(Wisdom 18:6-9, Hebrews 11:1-2.8-19, Luke 12:32-48)
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“Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required…”
God is the source of our lives and everything that we have. He is therefore the ultimate end and destiny. By his grace, we are custodians of his creation, even of our own lives. As a matter of fact, nothing belongs to us at all. Everything ultimately belongs to God. This means that we cannot administer the temporal goods of the earth, including our lives, according to the way we want. Stewardship should be exercised according to the plan of God, and God’s plan is that everything that we do with what he gave us brings glory to His name. We cannot be stewards of God’s resources if we want to own what belongs to God.
In this world we never brought anything, and we shall likewise not take away anything. The gospel of today reminds us that the day of reckoning is coming when we shall account for what God gave us, including our own lives. Before him, the Just Judge, we shall stand to account for our stewardship. As Christians, more will be expected of us, for to us, more has been given. We have the privilege of knowing the gospel values which we should use to govern ourselves and the things around us. The Christian teachings that we receive are a guide on how we should exercise our stewardship. We can use these teachings to be faithful custodians, to clean our society of anything that does not bring glory to God’s name, and to make our lives the sign of God’s presence.
The second reading gives us a discourse on faith. We realise that faith is one of the instruments that we Christians can use to demonstrate our communion with God. Faith is a gift from God Himself. We cannot be Christians without believing. Our forefathers in the Old Testament demonstrated the importance of faith, even though sometimes they went astray. When they believed, their lives were always in conformity with God. Even if they never understood a lot about God, their trust in Him always gave them the urge to still believe that after their painful desert journey, they would see the Promised Land. And so they specially inspire us, to still believe even when we do not understand many things. If we claim we understand everything, then faith may not be necessary.
We believe in a mysterious God. The mystery surrounding Him is what prompts our faith. If we understood who God is in totality, faith wouldn’t be necessary. We have faith in God because there is something we do not know about Him. Our desire to know this mysterious God is what moves us closer to Him. Thus, the first necessary aspect of being Christian is faith. Even the account of our stewardship, on the last day, will be based on the depth of our faith. Therefore, let us live our lives knowing that one day we will have to stand before God and account for how we lived. It is thus important to remember to store up our treasures in heaven, and not here on earth by not putting our confidence, strength and mind in things that do not last. Investing in earthly goods can make us happy, but not as much as God would.
ENJOY YOUR LITURGY
Fr. Arthur Ntembula
