Homily For The 14th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A.

 

Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2. 8-11. 13-14; Romans 8:9. 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30.

“LET GOD LEAD!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·       We celebrate today the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. It is also the first Sunday of the second half of the year. Despite all odds, it is a great privilege to be counted among the living, and for this we are gathered to thank the Lord, to pledge our continuous allegiance to him, and to ask him for more favours and more blessings.

·       There is no doubt that we live in a very hard time in our country, Nigeria; this hardship has pushed many Nigerians to demand better governance and leadership. Nigerians are beginning to ask questions about our corporate existence as a nation, about our future as one nation, the poor health care systems, the loud call for restructuring, and the various voices of anger and disappointments from the various regions of the country.

·       Dear friends in Christ, reflecting on all of these, we are filled with fear and uncertainty about our future, our lives, and the future of our beloved country. We are wondering if God still loves Nigeria and still promises to be with us till the end.

·       There is so much hunger and anger in the land that everybody blames everybody for the cause of his/her problems and misfortunes. We have come to a crossroads where we can now say that we cannot do anything right unless God walks with us; we cannot get it right both as individuals, families, and as a nation if we do not allow God to lead.

·       Friends in Christ, our readings of today come to lend us hope that regardless of our disposition to give up on the world, we must not give up on God because God is always up to something. It is not yet over until it is over since he has the final say.

·       The gospel reading today (Matthew 11:25-30) is a prayer of thanksgiving to God for revealing to us that alone we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). With God, all things are possible (Matt. 9:26). We may ask ourselves, what is it that God has revealed to us? It is the knowledge that God must take the first place in our lives and nation if we must succeed or get things right.

·       Jesus did not stop by thanking his father for the revelation but went further to invite us to cast our troubles and worries on him, to cast our fears and anxieties, to surrender all to him, knowing that he will take care of us. Earthly leaders may fail us, our tribe and kinsmen may fail us, the government may fail us, and the system may fail us, but God will never fail us. He has promised us, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Matt. 11:28-30).

·       In calling us to himself, Jesus did not promise us uncontrolled bliss. No! He offers us a better alternative than what the world can give. He offers us a light burden if we truly appreciate it is not a burden at all. What is that burden? It is the burden of life in the spirit. The burden to live in righteousness.

·       The second reading (Romans 8:9, 11-13) challenges us to take our commitment to spiritual things seriously because that is what guarantees true happiness and true peace. The world is suffering because she has abandoned the way of God; our country is also suffering because we have thrown God out the window.

·       Today, St. Paul challenges us through the second reading to return to God. To shun all unspiritual things and focus on the spiritual because we were created to be spiritual, carrying in us the image and likeness of God. We must always realise that “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

·        Dearly beloved in Christ, all hope is not lost. God himself has given us the antidote to our problems and difficulties: to let God lead, to let him direct our lives onto the right path, and to bring us relief and release. That is the condition to be truly happy and truly fulfilled.

·       The first reading (Zechariah 9:9-10) is a prefiguration of the joy and peace we will enjoy when we allow God to take the lead in our lives because those who live for God live for nothing, and those who live for nothing live for everything. After all, he is the maker of all things, and he created all things out of nothing.

·       Friends in Christ, God comes to us today again giving us yet another chance; he stands at the heart of the door of our heart and knocks. We who desire true peace, we who desire true progress, we who desire divine encounter and transformation must open up to him. Then “he will banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem; the bow of war will be banished” (Zech. 9:10).

·       One thing is sure when God leads and takes the driver’s seat in our lives, we will reach our destination, no harm will betide us, he will wipe our tears, he will offer us new hope, he will offer us new joy, new peace and like the Psalmist we shall all sing “I will bless your name forever, O God my king” (Ps. 145:1).

·       Happy Sunday!!!