HOMILY OF 32ND SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME : YEAR B
HOMILY OF 32ND SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME : YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: TRUST IN GOD AS THE FOUNDATION OF CHARITY
BY: Fr Casmir Nkamuke
1 Kg 17:10-16, Heb 9 : 24 – 28, Mk 12:38-44
As we gradually approach end of the Liturgical and the calendar year, the Liturgy presents us with teachings that aids us in our quest for eternal life. Today, we are taught that the basis of charity is trust in divine providence.
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The prophet Elijah demanded from the widow her very last source of food. The situation was so bad that the only hope after consuming the remaining stock was to wait for death. By attending to the prophet, this widow expressed her unalloyed trust in God. She trusted that everything she had belongs to God, and that it is the same God who is making the request for help. Her confidence in God did not disappoint her. Rather, she got more than she hoped for: her stock never ran dry.
In the gospel, Jesus distinguishes between the scribes who do all to win and maintain the honour of men, and a poor widow, whose gift to God was based on genuine love for, and total trust in God. Unlike the wealthy people, this widow put an insignificant coin on the box, a coin that is as good as worthless. However, the value of a gift depends more in the heart which gives than in the absolute worth of a gift. As Jesus says, she put in everything she possessed and all she had to live on. Unlike the scribes in the passage, she relied solely on divine providence and not on human acclaim.
This model of total giving is presented to us in the second reading in the person of Christ. Christ, true God and true man, offered up himself for our redemption. He did this to make us partakers of his divinity.
Beloved in the Lord, all we have and are come from God. Our charity must spring from the conviction that it is God who beckons on us to extend his goodness to others. Acts of charity ought to be seen more as privileges to extend God’s loving kindness than as favours done to the needy. When our charity is inspired by our confidence in God, we overcome the pains of ingratitude and disappointment. By helping others, we are not seeking the praise of God. On the contrary, we are expressing our love of and confidence in God.
May God give us the grace to trust in him always. May he give us the confidence to help those in need without counting the cost or expecting any reward from men. May charity always be inspired that everything we have and come from God, and that in helping others, we respond directly to God’s need for his creatures.
Happy Sunday
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