HOMILY FOR THE 22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.
THEME: Between Two Seductive Powers
BY: Fr. Uchenna Onyejiuwa.
There is tension in the life of every man, created by two seductive powers acting in opposing directions. One is the ‘Divine pull’ that calls man to acknowledge the Love that brought and keeps him in being and the other is the attraction of mundane pleasures. It is totally up to us to choose which of the forces we want to win. Whatever choice we make, there are consequences, there must be something to sacrifice. You either sacrifice the pleasures and comforts of this world or your soul. Jeremiah’s complaint in the first reading of today paints us a perfect picture of what it entails to fall on the side of God. Let’s hear him out: “You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger. I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody’s butt” (Jer. 20:7). I can bet it, my dear friends, it is never easy but it’s worth the suffering. However, we are often, myopically led to reject this temporal discomfort so that we can savour in full the pleasures of this life. No wonder why Peter had to remonstrate with Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. How can He be speaking of suffering and death when they have not yet gained anything from following him? At that, Jesus saw the need to explain to His Apostles, and all of us His followers, in clear terms the demand of discipleship: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:24-25).
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So, beloved friends, it is still up to us to decide whichever way we want to go since we have the freedom, the way of the Divine or the way of the world. As we stated earlier, any choice we make has consequences. It now devolves on us to choose among the two forces based on what we prefer to save, the soul or the self. Ordinarily, we are expected to follow the call of God, who is ever eager and willing to bring us to the truth and fullness of life but, He allows us the freedom to follow what our heart desires. St. Paul knows and understands how difficult it can be to make the right choice amid the many shining pleasures of life, that is why he advises us thus in the second reading: “Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind” (Rom. 12:1-2). This does not preclude our liberty to choose temporality and live worldly, so long as we know and accept its implications.
And I think this is where the Church comes in, as an index to the transitoriness of this world and the reality of the hereafter, with the mandate to educate us and guide us to respond positively to the Divine invitation the way Eli guided the young Samuel. What now becomes foolishness is the thought of most Christians (and many of our politicians fall in this category) that we can give in to the lure of worldly pleasures and still have a stake in eternal glory. To this group, Christ asks, “What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life? Such questions are meant to shake us out of such delusive thoughts that we can live disregarding Christ’s teachings and still enjoy the blessings of eternity. It calls for a deep reflection and for us to urgently reconsider our choices, for a stitch in time saves nine. Always remember that there is no shortcut to heaven. I’m wishing you all a joyful and prosperous new week. Peace be with you. (First reading, Jer. 20:7-9; second reading, Rom. 12:1-2; gospel, Matt. 16:21-27).
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