Homily of the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Theme: The Precarity of a Christian
By: Rev Fr. Livinus Igbodekwe
Homily for Sunday September 19 2021
The most terrifying aspect of being a Christian is the precarious nature of Christianity. A Christian seems to be dangerously endangered in the face of worldly realities. He is often nudged to a corner as being insignificant. He is considered vulnerable and easy to be dealt with maliciously because of his simplicity and gentility often conceived as weakness. Yet Christ says that he (the Christian) is the light of the world and salt of the earth.
The Christian is very friendly yet he has many enemies. A host of them. He goes about his business in all honesty yet he is made the business of others. Just as a light burns on its own accord without the knowledge of any darkness around its path, the Christian shines out in goodness without knowing that many evil people surround him. The evil people of the world take offence at him because he makes their evil deeds obvious just as the light exposes and detracts the shadows of darkness. Joseph for instance paid attention to being honest with his father Jacob and his brothers and kept dreaming his dreams while his wicked brothers took offence at him and sought to kill him. This is how precarious a Christian is. Christ Jesus went about doing good while His enemies saw his goodness to be evil because of jealousy and they plotted to put an end to his ministry.
Unfortunately, some Christians don’t understand what Christianity portends. That’s why many come into the Church to vie for one position of leadership and authority or another just as the disciples of Jesus were doing in the Gospel of today. Jesus had to bring back this precariousness to their consciousness. The crave for precedency or supremacy or greatness is never in the Christian spirit. The Christian Spirit involves “Childlikeness”. Just as a child is free from pride and ambition, a Christian must seek humility and selflessness as a credential for the Kingdom of God. We have to see God as our Father and our neighbors as our brethren and ourselves as their servants. This is our lot and we must embrace it so as to gain admittance into the Eternal rewards of the heavenly Kingdom.
Happy Sunday to you all!!!