HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: THE RULE OF LAW!
BY: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY JUNE 17 2022
*2Kg 11 : 1 – 20, Matt 6 : 19 – 23.
Every system of government respects the rule of law. And this rule states that the law is no respecter of persons. Nobody is above the law and so, government seizes to be government and turns into anarchy once human selfishness holds sway. In order to control this, every system of government has got its own checks and balances. In a democracy such as Nigeria claims to be practicing, the Senate President is there to control the Executive President when his misdemeanor goes overboard. In a University community, the Governing Council is there to control the excesses of any Vice Chancellor. Even in a Church system like the Diocesan set up, the College of Consultors are also there to checkmate to some extent the excesses of a Bishop. In a Theocratic Monarchy such as Israel practiced as we read in today’s 1st reading, the excesses of Queen Athaliah (Wife of late King Jehoram) was checkmated by Jehoiada the priest. When King Ahaziah died and Athaliah saw that her own son was dead too, after the palacial killings that took place under OPERATION JEHU (a spiritual mop up operation that started from Elijah that necessitated the killing of all worshippers of Baal and the entire family of Ahab), she went ahead to destroy the remnant of the royal family not knowing that Joash the son of Kg Ahaziah was preserved by somebody. Her excesses were finally chechmated by Jehoiada the priest.
Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that materialism is the greatest malady that can bedevil a Christian soul making the person lay treasures on earth as if everything ends here. It completely blinds our visions when we are in power from the reality of our spirituality and makes us degenerate into the love of wealth, land, clothing, cars, fine houses and all manner of earthly junk. The Word of God becomes the rule of law at such moments helping us with a number of checks and balances, restoring the sanity of our inner house. May God bless you today!