HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: Sacrifice your worldly gains for the sake of heavenly gain
BY: Fr. Justin Nzekwe
HOMILY FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 16 2022
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus talked about how riches can be a hindrance to entering the kingdom of God. Jesus said “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.” Jesus was neither condemning riches nor the wealthy. After all, God is the giver of every good thing, including the wisdom to create wealth.
The teaching of Jesus implies that the entrance gate to heaven is so narrow and only those who can trim themselves and humble themselves can gain access to it. Riches increases our size and possessions and make it difficult for us to have an easy entrance into God’s kingdom. The richer we get, the more we are obsessed with getting more. Jesus wants us to beware of the inherent dangers of riches which include: greed, pride, self-sufficiency and the desire to control everything. Riches can make us to think that we don’t need God, and that with money we can solve every problem on earth.
However, we are not sinners, just because we are wealthy. Jesus was rather preaching about the need for us to detach ourselves from riches. We can actually be wealthy without allowing our wealth to control us. However the highest wealth in the reward of following Christ selflessly. When Peter enquired from Jesus to know what they could gain by following Christ, Jesus responded, “Truly I say to you, you who have followed me, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, at the regeneration of the world, you too will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.”
We can actually sacrifice some of our worldly gains for the sake of the heavenly gain. If we know how temporal our life on earth is, we will spend more time preparing our permanent home in heaven where we shall live in eternity. We pray in this holy mass that God will give us the spirit of contentment so that we shall not allow our earthly possessions to control us, but that they may enable us to draw closer to God and be able to inherit God’s kingdom in heaven, Amen.