YEAR A: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (2)
HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: MAY CHRIST LOOK UPON US WITH PITY
BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: MAY CHRIST LOOK UPON US WITH PITY
BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
HOMILY: READINGS: 1TIMOTHY 3:1-13, PSALM 101, LUKE 7:11-17
The word of God in Psalm 82:6 says: “We are God’s; all of us are children of the Most High” and he loves, cherishes and saves us always. He is our refuge, a sure source of help when in trouble (Ps. 46:1). Being children of his therefore, he looks compassionately on us; providing, sustaining and protecting us. We may want to approach our God as such.
Beloved friends in the Lord, our gospel text today presents Jesus to us as a God who seeks us out so as to save us. We see Jesus soothing the pains of a poor widow today even when he wasn’t beckoned upon. As in his character, Jesus looked at the woman and had compassion on her. “Do not weep” he said to her, and to her son he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise”. Indeed, God visited her and restored the life of her son. Jesus is always walking our streets, visiting our homes, following us on our travels accompanying us as we go about our lives. He feels our pains, understands our plights, empathizes with us in our misery and is ever ready to restore our failed projects of life; our wearied souls, our weak and pained bodies (sickness) etc. he is always compassionate in his dealings with us. Remember that always, brethren.
May I also challenge each and every believer in Jesus to help him say to those weeping consequent upon the unfairness of life to ‘Weep no more’. In essence, may I invite all of us to be ‘Jesus’ to the ailing brother next door; to that aged and incapacitated woman behind us, to the terribly poor and dying family neighbouring us. May I exhort us never to wait until help is sought of us; rather, may we like Jesus, moved with pity, show God’s love to those in need gratuitously.
Dearly beloved in Christ, a touch of St. Paul’s letter to Timothy is also needful for our Christian growth. I’d rather we broaden our understanding of bishops to stand for our leaders and deacons for those in service and the women as used by Paul to stand for each and everyone of us. Our leaders are supposed to be men/women of dignity, great nobility, responsible and impeccable in character and near perfect administrators. They ought to be gentle, moderate in their quest for money, law abiding and well respected. Our officers, those in public service and indeed all workers are to be serious minded, lovers of their assigned tasks, not drunks and never avaricious. And the rest of us are challenged to be diligent, committed to our duties whilst neglecting slander.
What can we boast of today in contemporary Nigeria? Good leaders? Committed followers? Diligent officers or public servants? Can we boast that our governors, bosses and kings are good administrators? What about their character; their moral cum spiritual lifestyles? Is it worth emulating? Don’t we have highly unserious and zero committed public servants? Don’t there abound families without proper guidance courtesy of the irresponsibility of the parents or guardians? Ours is a society full of inept leaders, power drunk and avaricious. Ours is a nation of many vicious and immoral officers. Indeed, ours is a world where slander, gossip, drunkenness and the likes thrive. Today is a challenge to change for the best. It is a challenge to embrace dignity, selflessness, clear conscience, purity and respect. For this grace we pray Oh Lord…
FEED AND EDUCATE ONE…
