HOMILY FOR THE 21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

THEME: Called to be Resourceful

BY: Fr Anthony C Ohaekwusi

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 21 2022

 

Have you ever managed to get to the airport on time, but missed your flight? Or perhaps you felt you were well prepared for something, but failed to make it? A driving instructor once told me that most of his students who are old drivers fail the test more easily than those who are first-timers, because since they feel they already know, it’s hard to unlearn bad habits and get used to the new discipline. As with going through a narrow gate, it’s not how long you’ve been used to it that decides, but how well disciplined you are to stick to the rules. Reading a new book, always brings that uneasy tendency to check how many pages we still have before us, instead of following the book’s thesis one page at a time. This tendency often leaves us with a feeling of desperation.

This Sunday’s readings reflect on the need to recognize that God has called us as sons and daughters, so that we don’t feel so much entitled to His favours, but that we also work to achieve them. Working for something, requires a kind of effort and discipline that allows us not only to do what is right, but also to contribute something to the community. God, our Father, knows the solutions to our problems, but He expects us to worry about the part we can control, and leave the rest to Him. This is the narrow gate He expects us to enter. However, we often worry more about the things we can’t control than the things we can. Hence we often forget that what matters in life is not how much we can achieve, but how best we can work for it. For God is not interested in our great achievements or titles, but in our efforts to achieve greatness.

When we focus on efforts rather than achievements, we will see our suffering as part of our training, that God is training us to be sons and daughters worthy of the name. We are not identified and justified by who we know or where we come from, but by our willingness to face life’s challenges and make an impact. This is because even if our father is an employer, an examiner or an umpire, it is our own efforts that set us apart. Because life is not just a contest or competition to win or lose, it is a process of inspiration. And we should be aware that we are called not just to be successful, but to be resourceful.

Remain lifted and do have a great Sunday

Fr Anthony C Ohaekwusi

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