Fr. Ben’s homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II
Theme: WISDOM +VIRTUE =HAPPINESS
By: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)
Homily for Wednesday February 9 2022
*1 Kg 10: 1 – 10, Mk 7: 14 – 23.
So many people make the mistake of thinking that what brings happiness in life is the quantity of wealth we have. That is not true. What is even more true is that the more the wealth, the less likely the happiness. This is because the indices of happiness are factorized around wisdom and virtue and not wealth. Wisdom, however can lead to wealth creation and virtue can lead to health creation (I mean spiritual, moral and physical health).
In today’s 1st reading, we are told that the wealthiest woman on earth – the Queen of Sheba, came from far to confirm what she has heard about the wisdom and happiness of Solomon. She scrutinized and appreciated the architectural wisdom of Solomon, his high dietary standard, his administrative sagacity, his domestic sense of order, his artistic finesse and also religious idiosyncrasies. She ended up making the following comments: ‘Happy are your wives! Happy are these servants who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom’. Yes, she knew that these two are the direct beneficiaries/victims of a man’s wisdom /foolery, successes /failures, prosperity /penury. Like the Bible said : ‘To he who has will more be given’. Solomon received that day the gift of over 120 talents of gold, a very great quantity of spices and very precious /costly stones.
ĢToday’ gospel teaches us that once our thoughts are perfectly hijacked by the grace of God, wisdom is guaranteed, virtues will follow and happiness will be the end point. Jesus insists that it is what comes out of a man’s heart that defile him or her. The heart is the seat of thought, word, actions and omissions. He provides the following magna Carta of sins and faults proceeding from the heart: (1) From Impure Thoughts – Fornication, adultery, avarice, malice, envy and indecency (2) From Impure Words – Deceit and slander (3) From Impure Actions – Murder and theft (4) From Impure Omission – Pride and folly. The caveat here is that when knowledge (wisdom) is not supported by virtues, 2 Pet 1:3 – 9, the selfish appetites in man hold sway and from this perverted inner recesses of a man’s thoughts will proceed the above mentioned vices. That is the summary of King Solomon’s later undoing.
May God bless you today!