Fr. Mike’s Homily for Tuesday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II (1)




Fr. Mike’s Homily for Tuesday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II

Theme: They left everything and followed him

By: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches

Homily for Tuesday March 1 2022

 

 

 

Mk 10:28‐31

Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.”

The Gospels say that when Jesus called His disciples, they immediately left everything and followed Him. It was a radical decision on their part, not only because they left everything – family, home, livelihood – but also because they are aware of the uncertain future, especially in view of the persecutions ahead.

So, after being with Jesus for some time, it is understandable that they begin to evaluate their decision. Is it worth it? Peter verbalizes this with his candid question: We have left everything and followed you. What is going to happen to us now? Can we expect anything in return?

Jesus replies with the firm assurance: multiple and abundant rewards, not only in this present life, but also “eternal life in the age to come.” He promises that since they give of themselves for His sake, they will surely receive much more than they have given up. For a lot of people this may sound like a promise of a pie in the sky, more of an illusion than a reality.

Nevertheless, hard to believe as it is, this is proven true by countless persons who have fully embraced the Gospel values. They left everything for Christ, but they received something more beyond their wildest expectations. This is simply because God can never be outdone in generosity. The lives of the saints provide us with abundant proofs of this wonderful truth.

Moreover, we have to remind ourselves all the time that embracing Jesus in our lives creates a new set of values that gives rise to new relationships. There is a story about two small boys having a chat. One boy boasted, “My Mom says we are a famous family because we have lots of relatives who are into politics and show business.” The other boy just shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Well, I heard my Dad calling God his father!”

By leaving the home and family and by giving away material goods, the person enters a new family in which there are far more mothers, brothers, sisters; where one home is replaced by many homes offering their warmth and hospitality, offering a home away from home. This is the experience of missionaries, priests and religious.

Christianity, after all, is not meant to be a religion of individualistic and selfish persons who are just concerned about saving their own souls, but essentially consists of trying to create a whole new way of life where people relate to each other in mutual love and care.

This kind of experience may seem strange nowadays. Due to the culture of hedonism and consumerism in the world, people are mainly preoccupied with getting and having more material things. Barely do they realize that, according to an unknown author, “There is something perverse about more than enough. When we have more, it is never enough. It is always somewhere out there, just out of reach. The more we acquire, the more elusive enough becomes.” In fact, as the contemporary philosopher, Thoreau, said, “It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.”

Let us not be afraid to follow the example of the disciples. They left everything in order to follow Jesus in complete freedom and joy. An American missionary, Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” This is the only way to discover the great providence and unsurpassable generosity of God.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches

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