Homily For The 23rd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C.

Wisdom 9:13-18; Psalm 90:3-6.12-14.17; Philemon 9-10. 12-17; Luke 14:25-33.

“THE CHALLENGE OF DISCIPLESHIP!”

 By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·       It is common knowledge that when an advert for a job is placed, those who are invited for the interview may have passed the exams before the job specifications and benefits are laid out. Those who feel that they can meet up with the challenges of the new job, take up the job, and those who cannot meet up with the demands of the said job, look elsewhere.

·       We must understand that there are no calls without challenges, whether temporal or spiritual. The challenge of the call is only known after one has responded positively to the call. No one gives you the content of your call unless you respond first to the call. So also is the Christian call to follow Jesus.

·       The gospel reading (Luke 14:25-33) specifically invites us to become the disciples of Jesus, but not without its sacrifice and challenges. The call entails a lot of sacrifices and physical discomfort. However, it still leads to eternal gain and unrivalled comfort.

·       The call to be a disciple is a free choice that leads to other choices. The choice to be a disciple presupposes the choice to set our eyes on the target and not to let anything else distract us, be it friends, family, acquaintances, businesses, or preoccupations. The call must be given pride of place because we are first the children of God before we became anything else; hence, we must respond accordingly.

·       The cost or challenge of discipleship is described as a cross. It is a burden, a limitation, a challenge, a difficulty that we must all live with. For instance, as a Christian, it is not everywhere you wish to go that you can go. It is not everything you want to do that you can do. It is not every conversation people are having that you can have, etc., to be a disciple of Christ entails serious sacrifice, but what may seem as a limitation now will ultimately lead to limitless glory, what may seem as discomfort now will lead to eternal comfort, what may seem as a burden now will lead to abundant joy!

·       We must note that to be a disciple of Jesus is not a part-time thing; it is a way of life that we must be prepared to live. Hence, before embracing this call, we must first evaluate ourselves and the consequences of the call. Whether we have what it takes to see it through to the end. It is only those who persevere to the end who are rewarded, not those who fall by the wayside.

·       In the second reading (Philemon 9-10, 12-17), we see St. Paul bearing happily the burden of discipleship. He was in chains for the sake of the gospel, dragged to places he would rather not wish to go. While in chains, he was still able to carry out the task of discipleship, which is to reconcile Onesimus with his master, Philemon.

·       St. Paul was not concerned about his comfort or the chains he was carrying, but about reconciling his son Onesimus with his master. We, too, as disciples of Jesus, part of the burden of our call is to continue to bridge the gap of divisions, reconcile hatred, bring peace to warring parties, etc.

·       In doing these, we must not expect the applause of everyone; we must even expect persecution from within our own closest ranks. The ranks of family, friends, colleagues, relations, etc.

·       We must not be perplexed by them, because those who frustrate the gospel message or the messenger are yet to be endowed with the wisdom of God. The first reading (Wisdom 9:13-18), which is the personification of wisdom as Christ, the Son of God, teaches that if we know Christ (wisdom), we will not persecute his message or be worried when we are persecuted!

·       Dearly beloved in Christ, the burden of discipleship could be discouraging and overwhelming, but we continue the race and on the part God has chosen for us, knowing that God will never allow darkness to prevail over light, falsehood over truth, wickedness over goodness.

·       When we are about to be discouraged, the psalmist gives us hope that no matter what, God will continue to be our refuge and strength and close helper at hand in times of trouble because we know that “O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next” (Ps. 90:1)

·       May Lord grant us the grace to happily embrace our call to discipleship against all odds and to persevere to the end when we shall be given our crown of unfading glory through Christ our Lord, Amen!

·       Happy Sunday!!!