HOMILY FOR THE TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: DOING THE WILL OF GOD
BY: Fr Stephen ‘Dayo Osinkoya
Genesis 3:9-15, PSALM 129:1-8, 2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1, Mark 3:20-35
Our liturgy today invites us to take a hard look at sin, to call it by name and to take back our responsibility for it. Similarly we are challenged to look evil in the eye and own it for the reality that it is. One of William Shakespeare’s most memorable line is “What’s in a name? That which we call rose, by any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo and Juliet, act 2, sc2, I.43) This is to say, that which is sin, by any other name we may call it would still be sin!
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But despite the sinfulness of man, the Lord is always taking the initiative to call us first, even before we realize our faults. But what do we do in response to his call? We often try to justify our actions and shift whatever blame there is to someone else. In my few years as a priest, I have heard penitents on several occasions at the confessional try to give reasons for the sins they had committed. God does not ask us questions because he does not know the answers; rather, he wants us to think about who we are, what we have done, and why we have done it.
Beloved in Christ, sin entered the world through disobedience; not listening to God but to another. Sin by entering the world creates conflict and this conflict would never end until humanity returns to obedience to God, by following our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord says in today’s Gospel reading that doing the will of God is what makes one a member of the family of God.
In the same gospel reading, the Scribes and Pharisees seems to recognize that Jesus has an understanding of the Law that is completely different from theirs. They want to challenge Jesus but recognize how popular Jesus has become among the ordinary people. So they thought the only way to discredit him and dissuade the people was by ascribing everything he was doing to the devil. But how can that be when there is enmity between Christ and Satan: “he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” (Gen. 3:15)
Our lord takes the accusations of his enemies and uses it as an opportunity not only to explain the workings of evil but in contrast, the workings of the kingdom of God as well, and warns them against eternal sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, an unforgivable sin.
Today, we are all challenged to follow the Lord, no matter what our families or other people think about us. We are challenged to do the works of God, to recognize that the fight between good and evil is still going on in our own time. We must also recognize that it is God who is at work in every one who seeks to do good. In the 2014 movie “Deliver us from evil” officer Sarchie explains to Fr. Mendoza that as police officer, he goes out every night and he’s confronted with various evils in form of crimes, such as rape, murder, etc. So he asked Fr. Mendoza; “In the face of all these evils, where is God?” Fr. Mendoza responded “In the hearts of men like you who try to put an end to evil.” We must not seek to undermine effort made by others to please God through good deeds. Jesus makes us to understand today that we would be committing a mortal sin by so doing. This is because in so doing we are reducing the grace of God at work in others to nothing of note.
Beloved in Christ, if we live our Catholic faith well the consequences would be Friendship with God, internal peace and harmony, friendship with all men, and mastery of creation.
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