HOMILY OF 21ST THURSDAY THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY OF 21ST THURSDAY THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
BY: Bishop Anthony Ewherido
Against the background of the invectives against the Scribes and Pharisees in the last few days, Jesus addressed his disciples directly in today’s gospel, urging them to spiritual vigilance and attentiveness. He signaled his sudden return and the need for disciples to be ready to welcome him when he comes. The obvious question that follows such an instruction is: when Lord?
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Jesus warns us to resist the temptation to guess when his second coming would be. No one knows, he said. It will be sudden and definitive; the very reason we should be in a state of constant readiness. While we cannot time his coming, we must not doubt its inevitability and think we can sway God when the time comes. Such a constant state of readiness demands that we do not allow the overwhelming demands of daily preoccupations and this world to lead us away from our spiritual and religious commitment to God and neighbor. Like the Thessalonians in the first reading, our faith in God must remain firm and unshaken; and we must abound in love for one another. Paul gives the purpose as follows: “so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.”
Lord, lead us to you on the path of life eternal. Amen.
ADDENDUM:
“God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.”
Our mother-son story is one of true love, that is inspired by God’s love for us. Because of his love and compassion for humanity, God never gives up on us, but rather, always finds new ways to return us to His embrace. So also, He rewards the prayers of those who never give up; those who persist in faith and trust, despite life’s struggles. The enduring love and prayers of Monica yielded great fruits. Her son, Augustine, received the grace of conversion from his radical and ungodly lifestyle. He became a priest and a great theologian of the Church. In his conversion, Augustine refocused and put himself, his intellect and his human and spiritual resources at the service of God, as a disciple of Christ, in humble, loving and selfless service of the Church and humanity. God accepted what Augustine offered and fanned it into wonderful outcomes. Hitherto, he used his talents wrongly; in conversion, he put those talents to excellent use; a bountiful sowing that yielded a bountiful harvest. God gave us all talents; at whose service do we put them? We will account for them on the Lord’s Day. St. Augustine teaches us that the time we have is a turnaround opportunity. Let us take prompt advantage of it and not procrastinate.
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