YEAR A: HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: My grace is enough for you; my power is made perfect in your weakness

BY: Rev. Fr. Callistus Emenyonu, cmf

HOMILY: READINGS: 2 Cor. 12: 1-10, Ps. 34, Mat. 6: 24-34

Grace is a special gift of God given to all people so that human beings can operate according to his plans for them. He knows that without this special heavenly aid human beings cannot cope in this world. There is no human being who can exist here on earth and do anything meaningful and good by himself if not aided by God’s grace.

Beloved, in the world, we have to face a lot of difficulties and trials; we have to undergo strange and adverse conditions (tribulations) not desired and often very painful and regrettable, yet in all these no human being can wade through them except by divine intervention and help which is this grace that God lavishes on us.

When you face life difficulties, when you encounter seemingly and insurmountable situations only one thing can encourage us to move on. You may find yourself in condition of strange sickness and hardship; you may do all within your powers and even fast and pray. You may be passing through serious financial crisis; it may be difficulty in child bearing, in passing your examinations, in processing your travelling documents, employment problems. It may be disturbances from family and friends and even those of your household, it may even be a relationship and marriage problem of which you have done all within your reach. There is only one thing you must not forget and that is that the grace of God abounds in all circumstances and we must believe the word of God speaking about the virginal conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary that with God all things are possible or that nothing is impossible with God. Situations can be very prevailing and persistent yet the grace of God is the final arbiter and the deciding factor of all our life issues. It expires all problems of man.

Beloved something that looks strange and confusing is how God would allow his faithful and holy people to be going through very serious moments of crisis unabated. Such people in the scriptures are foremost Job, Abraham, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and even St Paul a very hard working and honest adherent to his will. That such people can be allowed by God to suffer to the magnitude they did is also a source of encouragement to us who suffer not up to theirs and who in all measures are sinners than such people. If God did not spare his own only begotten Son who are we to be spared? St Paul in the first reading said that even though he boasts in the Lord and does his will yet God afflicted him with an ailment that he never liked. As a man of prayer and faith, he approached God several times asking for such problem and pain to be removed from him. He expected a positive answer of Yes, I have removed it, be free or be healed but he was told by God as an answer to his prayer: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Beloved, situations we find ourselves can strongly suggest allegiance to two masters often referred to as Caesar’s and God’s. At times we are tempted to be here and there which is not good and efficacious but the same grace of God liberates us from such and strengthen us to remain with Jesus the only Master. Worries of this life especially lacks in basic necessities of life threaten us to lose faith; things to eat, to drink, to clothe and to enjoy with can be troublesome yet the grace of God sustains his faithful in all these trials the Lord sets us free.

May our faith make us believe that the grace of God will never depart from us and that whatever we need shall at its due time be provided by our loving Father.

May we believe that the worries of each moment shall be resolved by God for all things turn to good for those who believe. Taste and see that the Lord is good for those who wait upon his grace, Amen.

Rev. Fr. Callistus Emenyonu, cmf