HOMILY FOR THE 29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

 

                        

                    Isaiah 53:10-11; Psalm 33:4-5. 18-20. 22. R/ v.22; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45.

“SUFFERING AND SERVICE: THE PATH TO TRUE GREATNESS”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

· We live in a world where people are moving on a fast lane, people are impatient with each other. People are jumping the queue, beating traffic lights, people cut corners, students now want to pass exams with excellent grades without hard work therefore they take to “miracle centres” heavy malpractice. The biggest challenge is that parents aid and abet these processes. Hence it is not surprising that the mother of James and John aided and abetted them in their quest for political powers as against kingdom powers. 

·      Our Nigerian society has this ‘cancer’ of “get-rich-quick” syndrome, godfatherism, “who-know-who-know-who”. Hence it does not matter how intelligent you are, but who your father or mother is, whom you are related to or connected to, or what ungodly thing you are prepared to do (bribery and ‘sleeping’ around).

·      Dear friends in Christ, it is only in the dictionary that the word “greatness” comes before “suffering”. In the religious struggle, suffering comes before success, the cross comes before a crown. Behind the smiling face of victory is a long story of disappointments and pains. Today people want to get rich without working for it. People want to rise to great heights without the drudgery of climbing a ladder, people want to get into the ‘promised land’ without passing through the desert, and people want to wear the crown without carrying the cross. Mahatma Gandhi summarized these dispositions in his seven deadly sins of the modern world: Wealth without Work, Pleasure without Conscience, Science without Humanity, Knowledge without Character, Politics without Principle, Commerce without Morality, Religion without Sacrifice.

·      The desire to be great seems to be a very central factor in human life. A careful reading of world history will show that it has been all about the struggle for power, influence, position, supremacy, and greatness. Everyone wants to make it to the top. People are fast becoming ambitious. It is good to be ambitious but only if our ambition is on eternal values (Matt.6:33; 11:12). Ambition in itself is not bad at all, it is how we go about nurturing our ambition for greatness and success. Unfortunately, what inspires much ambition is a desire to ‘make it’ to oppress or lord it over people. So much crave for authority and success with little or no reference to hard work (suffering) and service. Surprisingly, Jesus did not reprimand the two brothers. Instead, he took the occasion to teach all of them the lesson on true greatness. It is not in being ahead of others but in serving others. 

·      The second part of the gospel also cautions: “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all” (Mk 10:42-44). The two brothers were ambitious and one could admire them for that. But in their quest, they were focused on the glory and not the path that would lead to the glory. It was on account of this oversight that our Lord asked them if they will be able to drink the cup he would drink, namely suffering. Their ambition to get to the glorious realm was so strong that they did not express any fear of drinking the cup. They were sure that the cup will come and pass (and may not be as painful as they imagine) but the glory will be established thereafter.

·      The First Reading from Isaiah (53:10-11) tells us that it is the will of God that his servant be bruised; experience grief and suffering as the steps that will lead to the salvation of all. If you examine the bible very well, you will discover that God’s appointment to positions of greatness would always follow some steps that may not appear palatable. Abraham’s rise to the status of father of a great nation took a great route spanning up to twenty-five years (Gen.12:2). Joseph’s appointment to greatness came after series of disappointments that started with his brothers (Gen. 37:18). The Promised Land was realized after a long walk of forty years in the desert (Joshua 5:6). After being anointed king, David had to pass through a period of fighting with Goliath and out-doing Saul, before he could sit on the throne (1 Sam. 17:45; 19:10). To redeem us our Lord Jesus had to follow the rigorous steps of passion and death.

·      For Jesus, success means to completely follow the will of God. Looking at Jesus on the cross, one may easily think that he is a loser. But that is the peak of his success. He has overcome the temptation to run away or to use his divine power against his enemies. Instead, he endured everything silently, “obediently accepting even death on the cross. Because of this, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name, every knee should bend, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil 2:8-11). What higher success can there be? True success is measured, not in accomplishing one’s ambition, but in fulfilling the will of God.

·      There are two extremes that we must avoid. On the one hand, is fatalism. This is the belief that everything is predetermined by God, and we cannot do anything else. So, it is useless to strive for anything, and just leave everything to fate. On the other hand, is unbridled ambition, which leads to unhealthy competition, fierce rivalry, jealousy, and arrogance.

·      Fatalism must be rejected. God indeed created us, and He has a plan for each one of us. But He does not take away our freedom. The Blessed Mother is the best example. She was chosen by God from the very beginning to be the Mother of His Son. So, He gave her the unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. But she did not lose her freedom. At the Annunciation, God sent an angel to seek her cooperation in the divine plan. She became God’s vital instrument because she freely consented to the divine plan. In the same way, God has a plan for each of us. But this does not mean that we will just remain passive. His plan cannot work if we do not freely consent and cooperate. St. Augustine said: “God, who created you without your cooperation, will not save you without your consent.”

·      The other extreme – unbridled ambition – should also be rejected. This is very prevalent nowadays. This is the “I-can-do-anything-I-want” mentality. This usually ends up in something worse: the “I-am-god” mentality. The person does not care about God. He will pursue what he wants in life, no matter what the consequences are on others, by hook or by crook. But there is no end to his hunger for more success. It is what is called the “rat race” - everybody joining the mad rush forward without any clear direction; only to fall headlong down the cliff. The trouble with the rat race is that, even if you win, you are still a rat – still miserable and a failure. Against this kind of ambition, St. Paul exhorts us: “Never act out of rivalry or conceit; rather, let all parties think humbly of others as superior to themselves, each of you looking to others’ interests rather than his own” (Phil 2:3-4).

·      Virtue always lies in the middle: not too much, and not too little. True success lies between fatalism and unbridled ambition. We acknowledge that God has the best and most effective plan for each of us, and He has given us a lot of talents and gifts to fulfil the plan. Let us freely abide by His plan and use our gifts to accomplish it, not because we want to be ahead of others, but because doing the will of God is the only way to be truly successful. St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” A man who develops his full potentials and God-given gifts is the one who glorifies God the most.

·      Wherever you will be in life has been designed by God. If you are connected with him in faith and obedience, you will rise to your position. It does not matter how long it takes you, or how tough the road is (the steps to greatness); the point is that you will get there. Many people are not successful in life because they gave themselves positions that God never intended for them. Some people are in the wrong places in life. And if you are in the ‘wrong’ place, it will all be ‘wrong’ for you. To get to the right place, follow God! It may not be an easy road but, you will get to your rightful place after all.

·      May the Lord fill our hearts with a burning desire for good and eternal things; to know that true greatness comes from service and suffering for the sake of others; and teach us to wait on him for true greatness, because if we place all our hope in him, his love will be upon us to carry us to heights we can ever ask or imagine.

·      Happy Sunday!!!