Homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C (4)

Homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Theme: Do not harm the Lord’s anointed

By: Fr. Chibuike Uwakwe

Homily for Sunday February 20 2022

Our theme is taken from the First Reading (1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13,22-23). David had the opportunity of killing Saul who was after his life. But he respected Saul as the Lord’s anointed and did not harm him.

There are five points we shall reflect on:

1. Why you should not harm the Lord’s anointed:

a) the Lord’s anointing sets one apart from others for a special mission. Harming the Lord’s anointed implies frustrating God’s special mission entrusted to his anointed.

b) The Lord’s anointing makes the anointed God’s representative. Harming the Lord’s anointed implies harming God indirectly.

c) The Lord is the judge of his anointed. This implies that God who anoints people for a special mission has the prerogative of judging them and punishing them when they err. Harming the Lord’s anointed perhaps because of their real or imagined faults implies taking the place of God who is supposed to be the judge over them.

2. Who are the Lord’s anointed?

All human beings qualify as the Lord’s anointed. By virtue of the Blood which Jesus shed for all on the cross and the oil of baptism, we are all anointed sons and daughters of God, though anointed for various responsibilities. This implies we should not harm anyone. However, some are anointed for special services in God’s name such as priests, prophets and rulers. These categories of persons deserve more respect as God’s anointed and we should not harm them for God’s sake.

3. How do we harm the Lord’s anointed?

We harm the Lord’s anointed when we seek revenge for real or imagined hurt done to us. Some feel threatened or disrespected by the words and works of the Lord’s anointed and seek revenge by withdrawing their support, by judging them, by condemning them, by refusing to forgive them even after their apologies, etc. Other ways of harming the Lord’s anointed include killing, vandalizing their property, kidnapping them, stealing from them, luring them to sin, cooperating with them in sin, accusing them falsely, instigating others against them, physical, emotional and verbal abuses, etc.

4. Lessons for the Lord’s anointed

The Lord’s anointing does not make the anointed infallible. It only empowers the anointed for special services. The Lord’s anointing does not make the anointed superior to those considered ‘not anointed’ or ‘less anointed’. The anointed should be conscious that the Lord’s anointing imposes greater responsibilities on the anointed. The anointed should strive to live up to these responsibilities and not betray the trust reposed on him or her.

5. Lessons for all

The fundamental attitude for an ideal Christian life is perfect love: love of God and love of one’s neighbour. If we love God, we will respect those anointed to represent him and will not harm them. If we love God, we will also love all men and women created in the image and likeness of God, including those considered to be enemies. This is the message of the Gospel reading (Luke 6:27-38). As humans, the image of Adam in us seeks revenge, hurt and hate but the image of Christ in us seeks reconciliation, peace and love. For this reason, St. Paul in the Second Reading (I Corinthians 15:45-49) encourages us to let the image of Christ in us triumph over the image of Adam, so that “having born the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven”. God loves you. Happy Sunday.

Fr. Chibuike Uwakwe