HOMILY FOR THE 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

 

Wisdom 7:7-11; Psalm 90:12-17 R/ v.14; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30.

“THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD: THE WORD OF GOD”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      There is within our hearts, the burning hunger and yearning for the word of God. This yearning is responsible for some people leaving the church. Some go to other churches (protestant or Pentecostal) where they think this their yearning will be satisfied.

·    Oftentimes, this yearning is not satisfied, then they begin to jump from one church to another church. And in a calendar year, they would have visited more than fifty different churches.

·      Sometimes over and above the yearning for the word of God, they are also looking for the place where they will be told what they want to hear and they forget that the word of God is a double edged sword – sometimes it is palatable to hear, sometimes it is bitter and disturbing. The word of God soothes us, encourages us, calms our fears but at other times, it also challenges us to stand up to change the status quo.

·      The word of God judges our secret thoughts and emotions and we cannot escape from it. And all our actions both public and secret must be accounted for. Hence the question: “What must we do?”

·      Just as in the first reading (Wisdom 7:7-11), we must pray for the gift of the wisdom of God to understand the word of God and accept it as it is – the word of God and not some human thinking (1 Thess. 2:13).

·      He/she who possesses the word of God possesses everything because it is incomparable with silver and gold. It gives life, health, wealth, beauty, etc. When we possess the word of God, we possess everything!

·      It is from this word of God which is a double-edged sword that we find joy and fulfilment. No wonder today’s psalm prayed: “Fill us with your love that we may rejoice” (Ps. 90:14).

·      If the word of God gives joy, why then will the man in the gospel reading (Mark 10:17-30) leave Jesus the eternal word sad? It goes on to buttress the point that the word of God possesses the power of double action. It soothes and hurts (challenges).

·  The man went away sad because he was guilty of self-righteous: “I have kept all these commandments from my earliest days” (Mk. 10:20), spiritual arrogance and insensitivity to the plight of the poor.

·      The man went away sad because he wanted Jesus to confirm his self-righteousness, arrogance, and pride and tell him you are doing well. Instead of the word of God to soothe him, the word of God challenged him to action and options for the poor but unfortunately, he was unwilling to accept it.

·      Of what use is our riches and wasteful accumulation of wealth, if it does not impact positively on the life of people around us, if it inhibits us from serving God well?

·      May it not be said that we gained the whole world and suffered the loss of our souls due to unholy attachment to wealth (Matt. 16:26).

·   The young man was very serious about following God’s commandments. He thought this was enough to gain eternal life, and he believed that following Jesus was just a matter of avoiding sin. But he was mistaking. In the account of Matthew about the last judgment, the eternal judge said to those condemned: “I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was away from home, and you did not welcome me” (Matt. 25:31ff). It was their omission, their unwillingness to help, their insensitivity and refusal to give and share that condemned them to hell. The young man went away sad because he was not willing to share. So, he cannot love, and therefore he cannot follow Jesus to eternal life.

·      Do not give up, do not relent, do not say it is impossible. Riches and wealth in themselves are not curses, they are rather blessings from God, an opportunity for us to use it to impact lives positively. Salvation is for all – both the rich and the poor alike. Therefore, there is no need to give up or resign to fate because, with God all things are possible!

·      For those who seriously heed this lesson, Jesus has this promise for you: “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present world: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the world to come” (Mk. 10:29-30).

·      Just as in the first reading, may the Lord give us the wisdom to hold riches as nothing, and to love the things of God more. Therefore, let us allow the word of God – the double-edged sword to cut through our hearts, to set us on fire to zealously work for the alleviation of the poor and to use our resources for the service of him rather than hoarding it. our world may be filled with his love and all of us may rejoice (Ps. 90:14).

·      Happy Sunday!!!