Homily For The 31st Sunday In Ordinary Time Year A.

Malachi 1:14-2:2.8-10; Psalm 131:1.2.3; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9.13; Matthew 23:1-12.

“BE THE GOSPEL FOR OTHERS!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      Today we celebrate the 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Reflecting on today’s reading which seems to set aside priests and leaders of the faith for warning and wrath, my consolation on a day like this is that the scriptures say, “If we take good things from the Lord, will we not take sorrows too?” (Job 2:10). If we have learned to enjoy the goodwill of the people of God, we should be mature to take criticism when we are not doing too well.

·      Reflecting on the readings of today calls for a serious self-examination for me first as a Christian and then as a priest. This is the kind of Sunday where our parishioners will be saying in their minds “Tell them oooh”, “Thank God I am not a priest”, etc.

·      In the first reading of today (Malachi 1:14-2:2.8-10), the Prophet Malachi is not leaving any stone unturned about warning us priests and leaders of the people of God about abandoning our core duties and chasing shadows, about being distracted by the signs and times we live in.

·      Malachi threatens that the consequence of the wrath of God will be great. Yes! We will lose our authority and moral power over the people we lead. And this is already happening in our time, if not how come we have so many pastors and men of God scattered all over the place and only a few people are being converted?

·      Dear friends in Christ, before we raise our hands in thanksgiving saying that we are neither priests nor preachers, we must also remember that as Christians we share in the common priesthood of Christ through baptism, therefore, much is also expected of us.

·      By our baptism, we have been made priests, prophets, and kings. How have we carried out successfully the missionary mandate entrusted to us all as Christians? So, before we point accusing fingers, the warning in the first reading should also be a wake-up call for all Christians to take seriously our Christian responsibility and commitment.

·      As a father of the house, as a mother and a wife, as a child of the family, God has called us into these states of life for a reason and he expects us to place our roles well and live out the expectations of such roles. So, how have you lived out hese responsibilities?

·      Today just like St. Paul admonishes in the second reading (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9.13), the Lord desires that as soon as we hear the word of God we will all accept it as the word of God and not some human thinking. And let it be felt and seen in the way we conduct our lives.

·      In the gospel reading (Matthew 23:1-12), Jesus decries hypocrisy which has become the bane of Christian witnessing in our world today. We know the right thing and what to do to be saved but how many of us are prepared to do it?

·      We must ask ourselves, why am I a Christian? Why do I go to church? Is it to pray and seek a closer relationship with God or to show off and attract attention to myself? The gospel calls for us to re-evaluate our commitment and inspiration towards certain Christian practices and devotions.

·      Dearly beloved, today we are specifically challenged to preach the gospel always and only when necessary use words. This means that let our lives be the gospel for others to see and emulate.

·      Until we all become authentic in our Christian witness, we are not yet ready for our common calling as a people sharing in the common priesthood of Christ. No wonder a Chinese proverb states that “What you are doing is so loud that I cannot hear what you are saying”. When we become true Christians by practicing what we preach then surely a lot of people will be converted.

·      Today, let our actions speak louder than words because we learn a lot by imitation than by hearing. Hence once we apply our Christian values to our lives, it becomes easy for others to follow.

·      The world is saturated with eloquent preachers but few witnesses. The Lord calls you not to preach the gospel but to be the gospel and live the gospel. Today the challenge of Christian witnessing is enormous, but we must continue to strive to be better Christians daily, we must strive not to allow the currents of the time to swallow us.

·      The message today is not only for religious leaders but also for anyone who is in a position of influence over others. As a preacher, teacher mentor, parent, etc. people are looking up to your life for either inspiration or dissuasion. We could make or mar people by our way of life more than the things we say to them

·      God expects so much from us because we are his choice of creation, and we carry his image in us. Hence, we must live lives befitting those created in the image and likeness of God by being the gospel for others. It is only then that we can say like the Psalmist “Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord” (ps. 131:1).

·      May the good Lord bless his word in our hearts through Christ our Lord, Amen!

·       Happy Sunday!!!