HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A. (4)

HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

THEME: HERE I AM LORD! I COME TO DO YOUR WILL.

BY: REV. FR. GODWIN ALKALI CSSp.

READINGS: Ish 49:3.5-6; Ps 40; ICor 1:1-3;
Jn 1:29-34

In some parts of Africa, Names and Nicknames are associated with animals. Most often people bear names of animals that are brave and strong. Among the Tiv, there are names like Anyam (Lion), Beagha (Tiger), Alom, Bagu, Gbev, Nor (Elephant), Ambe (Crocodile), Ikyume, Gbaka, Iyo, Nyinya, Bua, etc. Among the Hausas, we have names like, Zaki (Lion), Giwa (Elephant), Kura (Hyena), etc. For the Igbos, there are names such as Agu (Lion), Aguiyi (Crocodile), etc. The Idoma have names like, Ikwu (Crocodile), Agaba (Lion), Odumu (Tiger)

One wonders why John the Baptist choose to call Jesus “Lamb” and not a horse, bull, or shark. Why did he refer to a greater personality like Jesus as a Young Sheep that is seemingly weak..? John used Lamb for Jesus because, it is a sacrificial animal pointed to Jesus laying down his life the salvation of the whole world. By this act, John has clearly answered and accomplished God’s call and mission today.

In the 1st reading, Isaiah was called right from his mother’s womb. He thus foretells that Christ is the light of the nations that has come to rescue us from the darkness of our sins.

Paul affirms his call to be an apostle in the second reading. He proves the fact that having answered this call he bent down to do the will of God in obedience. Furthermore, he highlights another very important element of doing God’s will, living a saintly/holy life.

Jesus fulfilled the Will of God the Father till the end. That’s why St John calls him in today’s Gospel the “Lamb of God” “who takes away the sin of the world”, whom we invoke in the rite of communion asking Him to have mercy on us and give us His peace. He is the Son of God who has baptized us with the Holy Spirit.

TAKE HOME LESSONS
1. My beloved, God calls each of us for a purpose. He calls all Calibre of people- Saints and Sinners- To be Father, Mother, Teacher, Priest, Religious, etc. What matters is the call (Heb.5:4): No one takes this honour by himself… What matters most is how we live out our callings…

2. Each call goes with a challenge– vein hope, persecutions, rejection…. God wants you to remain firm, for He is our strength (Ps.18.2), He will surely lead and guide you in those moments.

RELATED: HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

3. In whatever, Vocation, marriage, or celibate, we are called to be servants, to serve our fellow human beings. To answer this call is to do the will of God. Let’s be true messengers of truth, even when the world is against us. Like John, we have to point others to Jesus…

4. As Christians, fulfilling God’s Will must always be our principal concern if we are to follow faithfully Our Lord Jesus Christ.

5. At times, fulfilling His Will is not that easy neither to understand nor to carry it out, but what is important is our firm faith and conviction that God always knows and wants what is best for us.

6. One of the greatest missions entrusted to us on earth is to be holy, to work towards being among the saints of God. By so doing, we speak volumes to those to whom we are called to minister or evangelize. It is the Will of God for us to be holy because he says to us: “Be Holy for I the Lord your God am holy” (1Pet 1, 13-16).

7. As children of God endowed with prophetic eyes and insights through our baptism, it is our call and duty to help the spiritually blind see and identify Christ. This is because, though Christ was in the midst of his people, yet they needed help in order to recognize him.

8. The only difference that the presence of Jesus Christ will make in the life of the spiritually blind is US, our testimonies, our gestures, our verbal/vocal pronouncements of: “Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi (Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”).

9. Beloved, for us to do the will of God perfectly, we must be in tune with the Holy Spirit of God. God supplies the grace that we need to do his will while the Holy Spirit supplies the power and the foresight we need to fulfill our function.

10. QUESTIONS
√. What is your response to God’s Vocation?
√. What is your message to God’s people?
√. What is your position in their lives?
√. What is your disposition?
√. Do you accept to be a servant like Isaiah,
Paul, and John the Baptist?
√. Are you humble enough?
√. How many people have you shown Christ to?
√. How many have you brought to the church?

May God help us never to ignore his calling and so win souls to his kingdom and inherit it at the end of our earthly race- through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL.

REV. FR. GODWIN ALKALI CSSp.
(Curate, St Peter C Parish Ujamatyu, Makurdi)

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