Fr. Ben’s homily for Thursday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Theme: JOSHUA’S ORDINATION!
By: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)
Homily for Thursday August 12 2021
From the day you are ordained a Catholic priest, everybody begins to call you ‘father’ including your own father. This is because there is a new unction for paternal function -an indelible character of elderly responsibilities and duties. Despite one’s physiological age, this phenomenon perdues. It’s a mystery beyond our perfect grasp. In today’s 1st reading, I am not surprised that God told Joshua after the death of Moses their high priest and leader that from that very day he will promote him and give him the dignity of priesthood. To confirm this, he told him to get the priests to carry the ark of the covenant and step on the waters of Jordan. As soon as they did that, miracle happened and the waters stood still for the people of God to cross the Jordan sea.
This is why priests are warned on the very day of their Ordination never to allow anyone neglect them because of the immensity of the glory they carry. They must try to conduct themselves with virtue and dignity, 1 Tim 4: 12. Priests are vanguards of Divine Mercy and veritable ambassadors of Sacramental grace. They must remain focused on this sublime spiritual function.
In today’s gospel Jesus reminds us that when God cancels out your spiritual debts, you are duty bound to cancel out yours with your neighbour. Failure to do that reduces you to the same fate as the biblical wicked servant. And we should remember always that there will be no rest for a wicked man, Ps 37: 20.
May God bless you today!