HOMILY; 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
THEME: Created to Express, not Impress
Fr Anthony C Ohaekwusi
A wealthy engineer had a loyal apprentice who served him diligently for many years. The man always praised the steward’s honesty in front of everyone and expressed how much he loved him. After his service ended, he rewarded him generously. A few weeks after the settlement, he gave money to the young engineer, who was now doing well, to build a beautiful house to be given to his son as a birthday present. The young engineer said to himself: “I served this man slavishly for years, gaining nothing, now I have the opportunity to earn some easy money.” So he decided to build a house with poor materials for him. However, he was shocked when the master handed him the keys on his own birthday, saying: “You are like a son to me, you have served me so well, and this is my way of thanking you for your honesty.” One can guess the expression on the young man’s face.
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This Sunday’s readings command us to love sincerely and unconditionally with our whole being, heart, soul, mind and strength. The heart represents our emotional faculties, the soul represents the spiritual, the mind represents the mental, and strength represents the physical. Love is incomplete when our expression lacks any of these. If I may ask, can you still love when you have nothing to gain or lose? Have you ever tested the extent of your love? We can test our love in our relationships with strangers, widows, orphans, the poor and those who are unable to love us in return. When we talk about love, we always tend to discuss emotions, sexuality and pleasure. However, these are only feelings that enhance the flavour of love, just like the spices in food. Spices make food delicious, but they are not the food itself. Love is not a feeling, but a virtue that recognizes and appreciates the centrality of human dignity in our affective response. The time to know that someone truly loves is when there is nothing to gain from loving. Most often, we show love just to make an impression. When love is for impressions, it is selfish, and lacks the virtues that respect the value of the other person. That’s why I see LOVE as an acronym that says: Let Our Virtues Excel and Let Our Vices Expire. We were created to express, not to impress.
Remain lifted and do have a great Sunday
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