HOMILY FOR THE 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A.

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Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 32:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1 Peter 2:4-9, John 14:1-12.

“FOLLOW THE WAY!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      Today the church celebrates the fifth Sunday of Easter. This is indeed the day the Lord has made and we rejoice and are glad in it. Today is a day to be grateful to God for the special gift of life, no wonder the opening verse of the gospel enjoins us by saying “Do not let your heart be troubled!”

·      Can one find a banana on a mango tree? The answer is definitely No! But sadly enough many of us look for the right things in the wrong place. We look for joy in places saturated with sadness, we look for peace in places ravaged by war.

·      Today the Lord Jesus invites us to complete followership because in him is the fullness of redemption. In him is the fullness of Joy and gladness. But the question we must ask ourselves is, whom do we seek? Where do we seek and what do we seek?

·      In the Gospel reading (John 14:1-12), Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. He encourages us to trust in God and trust in him despite all odds. But the truth is that our hearts are troubled and we are living in fear and uncertainty.

·      We honestly wish to yield to the commandments of God and not to let our hearts be troubled but the realities on the ground make us see things differently. Why should our hearts not be troubled when things are not working out the way they should? Why should my heart not be troubled? Why should our hearts not be troubled when our business is in bad shape? Why should my heart not be troubled when I cannot find a stable relationship that should lead to marriage? Why should my heart not be troubled when I have become an object of ridicule and suspicion by friends and colleagues?

·      These above challenges are real and enormous but Christ himself tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life. It therefore means that the only way to make it in life is through Christ who is the hard and the only way. And if we desire a good life here on earth and eternal life in the hereafter, we must also follow and depend on him.

·      The second reading (1Peter 2:4-9), tells us why we must hold on tenaciously to Christ Jesus and follow his commandments and directions because “he is the living stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4). Therefore, all those who chose him need not fear anything. After all, their hearts will never be troubled because they will rest secure in the hands of God.

·      The promises of God in the second reading should continue to inspire hope in us. He says “See how I lay in Zion a precious cornerstone that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust on it will not be disappointed” (1 Peter 2:6). Where do you put your trust, in God or man? 

·      If we put our trust and hope in God realising that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9), then nothing should make our hearts be troubled because God is in control!

·      In the first reading (Acts 6:1-7), it was to free the minds of the apostles from worrying about the things of this world that necessitated the election of Seven Deacons to be in charge of the temporal goods of the church while they continued to focus on the spread of the gospel.

·      Dearly beloved in Christ, we must not let the quest for the things of this world derail our minds from things that eternally endure if not our minds will be filled with emptiness and pain.

·      Like Thomas a lot of us may not know the way, we must therefore ask the Lord God to show us the way to eternal happiness and tranquillity. In showing us the way, Jesus tells us that the way to the Father is in the service of our brothers and sisters.

·      Today Jesus expressly shows us the way to follow in order to gain peace of soul and eternal gladness which is to follow his commandments and divine direction because if the Lord sanctions your mission and vision, then be sure to reach your destination. Hence do not let your heart be troubled! Thomas á Kempis wrote, “Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living.”

·      The Lord calls us to follow the way and to follow the way means that where he leads, we must follow, we must let him take the driver’s seat. Having accepted to follow his lead, we must like the Psalmist say “May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you” (Ps. 32:22).

·      Life in this world is never easy. Though saddled with the troubles, fears, confusion, and sorrows of life, let us take courage and strength from the loving invitation of Jesus: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (Jn. 14:1). He is our Way, our Truth, and our Life. Through Him and with him, we will together conquer our present difficulties and challenges and come to know the Father, to enjoy everlasting life and glory in His eternal Kingdom.

·      Happy Sunday!!!

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