HOMILY FOR THE 25TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
HOMILY FOR THE 25TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: CHOOSING GOOD OVER EVIL
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 / James 3:16-4:3 / Mark 9:30-37
The lord upholds my life says the psalmist but it’s if we give our lives to him that he will uphold it!
In our moments of decision making, we should always keep in mind Psalm 35 because If God is for us, who can be against us? It shouldn’t be strange to us that we are in the world full of battles(Job 7:1) but we are conquerors if and only if we keep doing God’s will. No good comes to one who persists in evil or to one who does not give alms.(Sirach 12:3)
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Mark Twain once said, “ The two most important days in your life are the days you are born and the day you find out why”. Have you found out why you are here on planet earth? Until you figure out your ‘why’ in life, you will never fully maximise all the resources given to you by God. Have we ever sat down to ask why we were all created? Once we know , love and serving Christ which are the reasons for our creation, then, no evil plans will ever prevail over us (Psalm 23)
Dear friends in Christ, it is worthy of note that “ What make sense in our world today can’t make saints and what can make saints does not make sense to us”. Hence, we are in the world where falsehood has more customers than truth, where stupidity and nudity are celebrated, where we have lost the senses of sin, shame and fear. However, to correct this insane mentality, the readings of today are encouraging us to choose good over the bad because anything we are going for has its consequences.
It is crystal clear that according to economics that, human wants are insatiable and there is freedom of choice either to go for the good or the bad. Since we have lost the sense of sacred in our contemporary world, human persons now desire the things that are injurious to the soul and that can endanger our salvation. We are called to reflect Christ in any situations we find ourselves but reverse is the case. We then violates our neighbour’s freedom, right and peace because we are in authority today forgotten that tomorrow shall tell.
St James stated in his letters that coexistence of jealousy and ambition breeds wickedness and disharmony and this is against the vision of Christ in John 17:21 “That they maybe one”. Also, we choose to inflict pains on others because we lack contentment. Hence, only those who are docile to the wisdom from the above can posses the virtues of contentment, love and peace. Lastly, many of us has forgotten our source (God) because of our inordinate desires which is strictly meant to oppress others so that people can accord us the respect which we do not deserve.
Nevertheless, Jesus was talking about his passion and redemptive death but his disciples were concerned about power and who would control the rest of the apostles. Same thing is applicable to some of our youths of today, in the sense that some of them are waiting for the death day of their parents in order to share their properties. How ashamed the disciples must have been when Jesus overheard them arguing about who among them was the greatest! But aren’t we like the disciples? We compare ourselves with others and desire their praise. The appetite for glory and greatness seems to be inbred in us. Who doesn’t cherish the ambition to be “somebody” whom others admire rather than a “nobody”? Even the psalms speak about the glory God has destined for us. You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour (Psalm 8:5). Jesus made a dramatic gesture by embracing a child to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of God.
What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They were socially at the “bottom of the rung” and at the service of their parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants. What is the significance of Jesus’ gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honour. It is customary, even today, to seat the guest of honour at the right side of the host. Who is the greatest in God’s kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of heart, who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant or child.
Jesus, himself, is our model. He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Paul the Apostles states that Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7). Jesus lowered himself (he whose place is at the right hand of God the Father) and took on our lowly nature that he might raise us up and clothe us in his divine nature. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). If we want to be filled with God’s life and power, then we need to empty ourselves of everything which stands in the way; pride, self-seeking glory, vanity, etc. God wants empty vessels so he can fill them with his own glory, power, and love (2 Cor. 4:7). Are we ready to humble ourselves and to serve as Jesus did?
Reflection: Call no one happy before his death; by how he ends, a person becomes known. (Sirach 11:28)
PRAYER: Lord, by your cross you have redeemed the world and revealed your glory and triumph over sin and death. May we never fail to see your glory and victory in the cross. Help us to conform our lives to your will and to follow in your way of holiness. Amen
Happy Sunday!
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