Homily For The 27th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C.

 

Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4; Psalm 94:1-2,6-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10.

“GOD IS NOT DEAD!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·       Sometimes, when we find ourselves in an awkward spot when the problems of this world seem to overwhelm us, plans are failing, ends are not meeting, business is not moving well, our health keeps failing us, etc., all these add up together can make us tarry and lose faith and hope in God.

·       While we are celebrating our 65^th National Independence Day as a nation, I cannot help but observe people’s disposition towards the celebration. You will notice a lot of dissatisfaction, disinterest, and a total loss of the sense of patriotism. Those who are celebrating are celebrating either because of the kind of job (teachers, military, paramilitary, diplomats, government officials, and civil servants), hence they must go out for a match pass, whether they like it or not. The truth is that there is so much hopelessness and uneasiness.

·       Many Nigerians still wonder if what we got on 1^st October 1960 was truly independence or over-dependence. Yes! We may have indigenous governance, but with total dependence on what the world powers specify, whether it is healthy for the citizens or not. Hence, can we say we are truly independent?

·       The people of Israel, just like Nigeria of today, also longed for independence at various points in their history. First, when they found themselves in slavery in Egypt, secondly, when they occupied the Promised Land, they desired independence from God, who guided them through and provided for them. When they sort physical and spiritual independence, they fell into the captivity of the Babylonians, and while in this captivity, the people of Israel experienced great hardship, as lamented by the Prophet Habakkuk in the first reading (Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4).

·       Can we say that we are in this economic, physical, and spiritual hardship because we have sort of complete independence from God? Has God abandoned us to various captivities because of our sinful lifestyle and disregard for the things of God?

·       We are often told to cry to God in times of distress since the scriptures tell us that “he is a helper close at hand in times of distress” (Nah 1:7). When we cry to him and he seems not to listen, where do we turn to?

·       It is really difficult to serve God when we are in pain and trouble. But in all of this, God is not dead! He is still available to those who seek him with a sincere heart. And when our cry for help is sincere and persistent like that of the prophet in the first reading, we will surely get a favourable response.

·       The response of God in the first reading is an assurance that God is still God despite all odds. He assures us all “since this vision is for its own time only: eager for its fulfilment, it does not deceive; if it comes slowly, wait for it will come, without fail” (Hab. 2:3).

·       The world may abandon us, the government may fail us, but those who do not seek independence from God but hold on to him despite all odds shall testify in his time. All we need to do is to remain patient and committed.

·       Our patience, commitment, and dependence on God and not independence must be exemplified in the way we live our lives and that is why Saint Paul in his letter to Timothy and indeed to all of us in the second reading (1 Timothy 1:6-8; 13-14), to fan into flame the gifts we have all received and part of that gift is our time and talents which we must all put into use to remove ourselves from pain, misery and economic hardship and not to continue to wait on the government for everything. We must remember that the gift we received is not a gift of timidity but a spirit of power (witnessing), love (mutual concern and sharing), and self-control (restraint from sin and wickedness).

·       The only way we Christians can come out of present misery is to remain steadfast and focused on God by keeping to the dictates of our faith, even when it is unpopular and unpalatable. It is a precious gift that has been given to us by God; hence, we must guard it jealously with the help of the spirit who lives in us.

·       Dearly beloved in Christ, it takes faith to remain faithful in this present dispensation. Sometimes we are tempted to lose faith, sometimes we are tempted to seek independence from God, sometimes we want to curse God and die, and sometimes we even contemplate suicide. We must realise that God is not dead, and because he lives, we can face tomorrow!

·       We must be like the Apostles in the gospel reading (Luke 17:5-10) on a day like this, ask the Lord to increase our faith and hope in him. We develop a faith in him that is greater than the mustard seed; we must develop a faith that fills us with the assurance that God is not dead, a faith that tells us that we can only make it if we are dependent on God.

·       Despite the loud cries of wailings, failures, apprehension, hopelessness, and serious hardship, the Lord is telling you today to hold on to your faith, despite our national 65^th independence or overdependence, we must continually seek total dependence on God for him to change our precarious situation into precious testimonies, our hopeless recession into boundless progression, our sinful independence to our righteous dependence, etc.

·       God is not dead hence we shall not die but we shall live to recount the goodness of God (Ps. 118:17). We all shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living (Ps. 27:13), but this can only be possible if we obey the words of the psalmist today “O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts” (Ps. 94:8). The word of God is clear and the demands are simple – “Love God and do whatever you like!”

·       May the Lord increase our faith, give us the grace to remain steadfast and persevere, and realise that he is not dead but lives forever so that we can trust him and be dependent on him through Christ our Lord, Amen!

·        Happy Sunday!!!