FR. BEN’S HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE I
FR. BEN’S HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE I
THEME: THEY HAVE NO EXCUSE!
BY: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)
HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 12 2021
*Rom 1: 16 – 25, Lk 11: 37 – 41.
It appears to me, going by today’s readings, that only these 3 groups of people may be found in hell; the atheists, the wicked and the Pharisaic. Let me explain why I think so:
1. The Atheists: The atheists are those who have avouched not to believe in the existence of God inspite of all the evidences before them. The 1st reading of today says that they have no excuse because ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible nature and his eternal power and deity have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. Through the perpetuity of rain and snow that make the earth fertile; through the majestic fountain and verdant valleys that reveal God’s beauty and charms even through the little bees that build 10 thousand tills for honey; through the coming of the day and the falling of night; we see and feel the presence of a maker, the author and finisher of our being. Yes, ‘the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. Day onto day convey the message and night onto night imparts the knowledge, no speech, no word, no voice is heard yet their sound goes forth through all the earth’, Ps 19: 2 – 3.
The atheists have no excuse ‘for though they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him but became futile in their thinking and claiming to be wise, they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men’, Rom 1: 16 – 25. Yes! I do see images of some grandmasters in some people’s offices who claim to profess allegiance to some of these modern atheistic religions (I won’t like to mention their names). These people are often very learned and difficult to convince on issues about faith. They claim to have more advanced perceptions of the metaphysical and extrasensory but hardly end up having any serious concept of morality. Christ says, ‘By their fruits we shall know them’. Therefore, ‘God has abandoned them in the lusts of their hearts to impurity… sometimes the worst forms of impurity… homosexuality, lesbianism and adultery… because they have exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator’. Honestly, this passage frightens me each time I come across it!
2. The Wicked; Of course the Bible says that there will be no rest for a wicked man, Ps 37: 20. These people who kill people, rape women, steal and perpetrate all forms of atrocities will surely suffer at the last day.
3. The Pharisaic; It may be worse for the wicked men/women who pretend to be holy…’who clean the outside of the cup when the inside is full of extortion and wickedness’ as Jesus puts it in today’s gospel. The Pharisaic are more interested in long ostentatious prayers and rituals; belonging to this or that religious group without bothering to live according to their ethos.
God may not punish anybody for not being religious but he will surely punish everybody for not bearing the fruits of true religion because we have no other excuse!
May God bless you today!