HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (St. Maximillian Mary Kolbe, Priest, Martyr).
THEME: Persuasive Preaching is key!
BY: Rev Fr Oselumhense Anetor (Uromi Diocese)
Deut.10:12-22; Matt.17:22-27
We see the perfect persuasive preacher in Jesus Christ, who remained actively in the world, while maintaining his identity as Son of God. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus teaches both Peter and the collectors of the half shekel a lesson in good citizenship. He knew he was not supposed to pay tax. He made that clear enough. But he went ahead to pay, in order not to offend the tax collectors. This shows that we may not need to pull long faces, throw tantrums, and ignite “holy fire” just to prove ourselves right, most times. It’s enough to show that we understand the position of others, before gently positing ours. And if our hearts are set towards right doing, they’ll most likely see things from our point of view, in time.
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Friends, in the life of St Maximilian Mary Kolbe, we see one who was an effective communicator and a persuasive preacher. He believed that the world was passing through a time of intense spiritual crisis, and that Christians must fight for the world’s salvation with all the means of modern communication. The manner in which he offered his life for a young father and husband, who was a prisoner with him at Auschwitz, suggests that he had already embodied sainthood. Though an earlier bout of Tuberculosis had left Kolbe weak and frail, he was the last to die, among the selected ten, enduring two weeks of starvation, thirst, and neglect, before he was injected with a lethal substance. He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1982. Can we be more like this Martyr of charity?
Good morning dear. God bless your week ahead! St Maximilian Mary Kolbe, pray for us.
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