Homily For The 8th Sunday In Ordinary Time Year C.

Ecclesiasticus 27:5-8; Psalm 91:2-3,13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45.

“BE LIKE YOUR TEACHER!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      Today’s readings throw a personal challenge of introspection to every Christian who desires to grow in faith and holiness. The model for that introspection is no man but God, through his son, who is a good teacher.

·      The theme for our reflection this Sunday is “Be like your teacher.” The temptation is to think that the priest or your classroom teacher is the “teacher” here. No! The teacher here is the teacher par excellence – Jesus Christ, the son of God. 

·      The reason your priest or your classroom teacher cannot be your excellent guide is due to human weakness. They may desire to lead you to perfection, but they will often fail due to human limitations and weaknesses. This is not to say that we should never aspire to perfection.

·      While seeking perfection, our guide must remain Jesus, the son of God. Scriptures tell us that he is like us in all things but sin. This means that having walked the earth, he shared our human weaknesses with us. He knows the pain of death, having lost his friend Lazarus. He knows the difficulty of hunger, having fasted for forty days. He knows what it means to struggle with temptations, having been tempted in the wilderness. The difference in this perfect teacher is that in all these, he did not sin.

·      In the Gospel reading (Luke 6:39-45), Jesus puts this question to his disciples: “Can one blind man guide another?” The answer is: “No!” One who is blinded by sin cannot possibly lead another to righteousness. But the good news is that Jesus, who calls us to himself, wants us to be like him. He is aware that our earthly guides might disappoint, but he will never disappoint. Hence, he calls us to look at him.

·      The sad reality of our time is that we have become too comfortable with our weaknesses, that most people are no longer willing to make an honest effort towards holiness. If anything, we are busy pointing out other people’s faults rather than working to become better people.

·      Jesus warns us today to first remove the plank from our own eyes before trying to remove the speck from our neighbours’ eyes. Many of us are guilty of this. We have become “deputy Jesus”. We are the ones who have the exclusive list of those who will go to heaven and those who will not. 

·      Jesus invites us to repent of this kind of attitude. Let us pursue personal holiness, and in that holiness, we will attract others to holiness. Worry not about the lifestyle of your neighbour; first, make sure that your lifestyle is what God desires it to be, and then others will emulate it.

·      The second part of the gospel reading takes it even further by telling us that no sound tree produces bad fruit and that every tree can be identified by its own fruit. What kind of tree are you? What kind of fruit do you produce? Are you Christian enough to challenge and attract others to Christianity? Are you merciful enough to challenge others to be merciful? Are you generous enough to challenge others to be generous?

·      Friends in Christ, we are called to be like Christ the good teacher in all things. For every good he expects us to do, he is always the first to put that into practice. That is why today we are called to be like him – be like your teacher!

·      In the first reading (Ecclesiasticus 27:5-8), the author follows the same pattern as the gospel reading to question the kind of tree that we are as Christians. To be a Christian means to be a guide to holiness and righteousness. How effective have we been in that mission?

·      In the end, when the sieve is shaken, the “good” and “bad” will be separated. On the last day, we too will be put into a sieve (the judgment of God) where the righteous will be rewarded and the unrighteous punished. Until then, what kind of fruits do you bear? The quality of the orchard depends on the quality of its fruits.

·      Dearly beloved, despite our weakness, Jesus has called us to be like him. Instead of always emphasizing our weakness, can we begin to talk about the graces that the Lord has made sufficient for us? Rather than look out for the faults of others, can we now evaluate ourselves with the honest desire to grow?

·      Jesus wants us to follow in his footsteps in the world. He wants us to become another Christ to all who encounter us. Then we would have merited the name. “Christian”. Let our lives today be the reason that someone will give thanks to God. Then the words of the psalmist will come true: “It is good to give you thanks, O Lord”.

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

·      Happy Sunday!!!