Homily For The 18th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A.

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Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 144:8-9,15-18; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21.

“WITH GOD, YOU HAVE IT ALL!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·       Today the church celebrates the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. God continues to invite us to a journey of faith in this perilous and uncertain times. Our faith in Christ Jesus assures us that when God seems delayed, he usually comes in a big way!

·       God is inviting us to seek Him first despite all odds, and every other thing that we seek will fall in place for us. To seek God is not just a one-off thing. It is a lifelong commitment to journey with Him through thick and thin. To set our hands on the plough and never look back.

·       In the first reading (Isaiah 55:1-3), the Prophet Isaiah reminds us of the promise of abundance which God has reserved for those who stick to His ways. When God calls us, he makes provision for the mission. The sad reality is that we become impatient and want quick answers to our many questions, and then we lose out on God’s plan for us.

·       In the presence of God, there is no lack, there is no pain, there is no loss. Whatever material we may have lost because of our commitment to follow Him, he will replenish eternally. He gives us only one condition to enjoy this abundance, and that condition is “come to me.”

·       Why are we afraid of coming to God? Why are we afraid to obey his commandments? Why are we afraid to do his will? The God we serve is not a monster; He is a loving and compassionate father. His will should be our delight!

·       In the second reading (Romans 8:35.37-39), Saint Paul agrees with the prophet Isaiah that there is an eternal delight in serving the Lord. This delight, which God himself promised to his children, comes with a prize. There will be persecutions, hardships, and challenges in all spheres of life. Whatever be the case, we must not allow such temporal difficulty to separate us from the love of God.

·       Dear friends in Christ, the choice to serve God and to know his will might not have been an easy decision for most of us to make. The fact that we must constantly renew those commitments to be better Christians comes with its challenges. Our faith teaches us that when we are weak, God comes to strengthen us. God does not abandon us because once we have God, we have it all.

·       Whatever our present challenges are, they should not take us away from the love of God because God is constant. Kingdoms and princes will rise and fall, our detractors and tormenters will come and go, but the love of God will always be there urging us on.

·       God demonstrates this compassion in the gospel reading of today (Matthew 14:13-21). He shows that he knows our needs even before we ask. He never sends us away empty-handed. The worst response we can get from God’s presence is “Wait” and not a “No”.

·       Dearly beloved, if God loves us this much, why then should we allow passing trouble of this world to rob us of the eternal bliss He has promised to His faithful children? Hold on to your faith. God is still God! He is a God of abundance. Thank Him for the favours you have already received, and he will do more.

·       The assurance that keeps me going in my quest to serve God daily despite my weakness and challenges is that if God is involved, things will turn out completely as I expected them. Without God in the equation, things will move from bad to worse.

·       Today, God wants us to trust Him, have faith in Him, trust the process, and know that yes, “sorrow may last through the night, but joy comes with dawn.” Our dawn is already here. Hang on and do not despair. Be assured that “with God, you will have it all.”

·       When the burden of Christian service becomes overwhelming, and we are considering giving up on God, let the words of the Psalmist help us renew our faith. Let us say to God, “You open wide your hand, O Lord; you grant our desires.” God will not forsake, He will not abandon you. Because you have found God, you will have everything!

·       Happy Sunday!!!

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