Homily For The 11th Sunday In Ordinary Time Year B.

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Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:1-2.12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10:1; Mark 4:26-34.

“THE SPARK OF FAITH!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      We celebrate today the gift of a brand-new week and yet another Sunday to worship, praise, and thank the Lord. It is the 11th Sunday in ordinary time year B. Today, just like every other day and every other Sunday, the Lord has a message for us, for our spiritual growth and nourishment.

·      Today we reflect on the theme “The spark of faith”. From our simple catechism, faith is defined as a supernatural gift of God that enables us to believe without doubting whatever the Lord has revealed. It is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance of things not seen (Heb.11:1).

·      The gospel of today (Mark 4:26-34), talks about the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus uses the image of the mustard seed to compare the kingdom of heaven and to teach us an eternal lesson. The journey to the kingdom of God first begins with the spark of faith. Hence the faith must be nurtured to grow into a big shrub, reaching out and spreading to those around us.

·      Friends in Christ, once we receive this gift of faith, we must not let it become dormant we must fan it into flame. This is typical of what is said to us at our baptism “receive the light of Christ, and this light is to be kept burning brightly... The light symbolizes the faith we receive at baptism. We must ask ourselves, how much we have nurtured that faith, and how bright is the flame of Christ within us?

·      We too, depending on when we received our baptism, whether as infants or adults, what is important is that the seed of faith is sown by God within our hearts, and while we grow physically, it is expected that we grow if not even more spiritually too. With our daily experiences and encounters, we must ensure that our faith is enriched to stand tall and strong. Yes! It is a gradual but steady process.

·      Our spark of faith comes to nothing if it does not grow to inspire others to genuine repentance and commitment to the ways and commandments of God. That is what it means for the mustard to grow into a big shrub with many branches for the birds of the air to make their nests. If your faith does not attract others to God, is not too late to get to work and start doing something about it.

·      Dearly beloved, the faith we have received from God is not just for us alone, it is for us and all those around us. It is to be used to better our work and our society, it is to be used to impact positively on the lives of those around us, it is to be used to bring our families closer to God, it is to be used to dignify labour by contributing beautifully in our places of work. Little wonder, St. James says “faith without good work is dead” (James 2:14-26).

·      The second reading (2 Corinthians 5:6-10), instructively reminds us of the fact of judgment. We must account for the time given to us here on earth, how well we have lived. Hence, we must live lives that are not at home with the body and away from the Lord because we walk by faith and not by sight.

·      To live by faith will then mean, to live away from the body but be at home with the Lord. To be at home with the Lord is to be at enmity with the world because we cannot please the world and please God at the same time. We must choose what side of the divide we want to belong to.

·      We must continuously make it a point of duty to please the Lord. To please the Lord means to keep his commandments and to work in his ways. At the end of our sojourn on earth comes judgment where our goodwill be rewarded and our evil will be punished.

·      The first reading (Ezekiel 17:22-24) praises the glory, majesty, and power of God as the Almighty and the one who controls the universe. He gives growth and he stunts growth. He is the Lord and master of all hence, we must give him the praise that is his due. To give God praise is to live a life that is expected of you.

·      The psalmist continues in the line of praise by saying “it is good to give thanks to you, O Lord” (Ps. 92:1). Hence, we too must join in giving God thanks and the best way to give him thanks is to live out the demands of our faith and to let faith flourish like the Lebanon cedar.

·      We pray that the light of God which is the spark of faith that was ignited in our heart at baptism, will be kept burning brightly, dispelling far away all sin and darkness and living behind purity, love for God and obedience to his commandments, we ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen!

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

·      Happy Sunday!!!

 

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