FR. BEN’S HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK OF EASTER
THEME: PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS!
BY: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)
HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 4 2022
*Act 8 : 1 – 8, Jn 6 : 35 – 40.
Persecution against the Church has always turned out to yield a good result in the end. This is because, according to Fulton Sheen, ‘God knows how to write straight in crooked lines’.
The 1st reading tells us that the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem led to the scattering of Christians which eventually led to the spreading of the gospel all over the world.
Today’s gospel makes it clear that it is the will of the father that Christ should lose nothing of all that he has been given and raise them all up on the last day.
In Nigeria today, many Christians are disheartened about what is happening in the country especially about the alarming state of insecurity. Many people think that God is silent watching the ‘Sons of Uthman Dan Fodio’ take the whole nation to ransom, overuning the whole security apparati, kidnapping and killing people (especially Christians) and flooding the whole nation with AK 47 riffles. But if you watch what is happening in the North today, you will also see that the God of nemesis is never asleep. The whole thing must surely turn onto good and end in praise. As the persecutions and killings continue (as part of this administration’s agenda), let the good Christians continue to pray and work hard at the purification and sanitization of the nation and the Church especially towards election 2023. Then there will be, as usual, more release of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Rom 5 : 5, 8 : 28 and by the special grace of God, Nigeria will get a true leader who will lead us out of the woods.
Jesus assures us in today’s gospel that he who comes to him shall not hunger and he who believes in him shall never thirst. Spiritual hunger happens when there is the absence of grace and salvation. Spiritual thirst happens when there is the absence of joy and fulfillment in life. The gift of the Eucharist remains the highest gift of Christ to His Church for salvation and spiritual growth. It’s bastardization leads to spiritual hunger and thirst. And it is a tragedy for someone to be thirsty right inside a river perhaps because the water of the river is not clean or because he or she does not want to humbly bend down to collect and drink. May God bless you today!