Catholic Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.
Theme: LOYALTY IN FAITHFULNESS.
By: Fr A. N. Abiagom, CM.
Homily for Sunday August 22 2021
1. Imagine a fish relocating from water to land.The life of a fish is in the water and all things being equal regarding the natural habitation of living organisms, the content of my proposed imagination would be inconceivable.
2. In the readings of this celebration, faithful loyalty to God is a central theme. The stress on faithfulness regarding loyalty is because false loyalty also exists.
(3.0) In the first reading the Israelites represented by their leaders, responded to Joshua’s decision call concerning the subject of their worship with a positive affirmation that they will serve the God who delivered them from the land of their captivity (Joshua 24,1-2a.15-17.18b).
(3.1) In the second reading the sense of loyalty of a wife to her husband is derived from the idea of loyalty within the context of the church’s relationship with Christ her head (Eph 5:21-32).
(3.2) In the gospel, the remaining of the twelve disciples with Jesus after others had left, was an expression of loyalty (John 6:60-69). Nevertheless, in 6:70, Jesus said in form of a rhetorical question that one of the twelve is a devil. By implication, the loyalty of Judas Iscariot was not a faithful loyalty, even though he did not join the other disciples who left.
4. Loyalty is often cheap in a relationship when the going is smooth. However, when the going becomes tough and gets tougher, the level of loyal commitment begins to decrease and if care is not taken, it diminishes completely.
5. How faithful our loyalty is to God determines how sincere and loving our relationship with each would be. A person who moves from the worship of one god to another in moments of difficulty, would certainly not be a faithful friend in his relationship with others.
6. If truly all who claim to be worshipping God, do so in spirit and in truth, there would trust, respect and progress in human relationship.
7. We live in a world in which loyalty in several circles has gone on vacation and we do not when it would return.
Become poor, and realise how many friends will leave you. Fall seriously ill and find out how many of your friends will keep checking up on you.
Servants kill their masters today and inherit their property.
What about loyalty in marriages? Marriages keep crashing because loyalty which is also an expression of love is often absent. How many are loyal to keeping terms of businesses, contracts and agreements today?
8. We cannot keep being loyal only when there is money to spend and stuffs to eat and drink. Our loyalty should transcend lips service. Only faithful loyalty can whether through the stormy day.
9. Loyalty is not denying one’s parents because they are poor. Loyalty is not ignoring one’s friends because status had changed.
Loyalty is speaking the truth and leaving by it. Loyalty is deciding to die on one’s feet for the cause of right than choosing to live on one’s knees for the course of wrong.
Loyalty is sharing your little bread with your brother or sister who has nothing. Loyalty is creating a sitting space for an elderly person in the bus or train. Loyalty is letting your friends know about opportunities that will be beneficial to them.
Loyalty is believing in God even when the sun is not shining and the moon is not giving out its light. Loyalty is loving one’s neighbour as oneself. Loyalty is to say like Saint Peter: “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” (John 6:68)
Prayer:
O Lord, grant us the grace to be faithfully loyal to You and to one another in the spirit of humility and love (Amen).
N:B – Happy Sunday and do have a beautiful week.
Love.