Homily For The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

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Exodus 22:20-26; Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40.

“LOVE GOD AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·       Today the church celebrates the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Gradually, the church’s liturgical calendar is winding down, thereby reminding us of and drawing us closer to the fundamentals of Christian existence and relationship, which is love.

·       Today Jesus sets the theme of love for our reflection. Whenever love is mentioned in the Scriptures or in our day-to-day conversations, many people wonder whether the love being spoken of is used as a noun or as a verb.

·       Jesus’ usage in today’s gospel reading is love as a verb. A verb is an action word, a doing word. So, it is not a name or a thing, but what we do in the name of love.

·       Unfortunately, we also live in a society where the sound of the word love connotes a lot of negative understanding. But for us Christians, it should not be so. The Scriptures say that “God is love and anyone who dwells in love, dwells in God” (1 Jn. 4:16).

·       In the Gospel reading (Matthew 22:34-40), Jesus gives us a divine injunction to love one another. Love remains the greatest commandment of God. No Wonder St. Paul calls us empty gongs if we have everything and do everything but have no love in our hearts (1 Cor. 13:2).

·       The Love that Jesus talks about today is the love that has two dimensions. The horizontal and the vertical dimensions. The horizontal dimension deals with our relationship with one another as Christians. The vertical dimension deals with our relationship between creatures and our Creator (God).

·       Dear friends in Christ, it is easy for us to say that we love people or that we love God and that we are willing to do anything for those we love. When it comes to the practical application or demand of that love, we realise that we are far from true love. No wonder Scripture says, “How can you love God whom you do not see when you have not sufficiently loved your neighbour whom you see” (1 Jn. 4:20).

·       When we truly love, it hurts, and it comes with a great prize. It comes with the prize of sacrifice, the price of discomfort, the prize of letting go and letting God. And God leads us in loving by example: “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son…” (Jn.3:16).

·       No wonder an author once said, “Love God and do anything you want”. To love God and do whatever we want does not suggest irresponsibility but the consciousness that we cannot love God and displease our neighbours or vice versa because we are all invariably created in the image and likeness of God.

·       We are challenged not to be so heavenly-minded that we become earthly useless or become earthly-minded that we become heavenly useless. The Christian way is both. Therefore, we must live our lives loving our neighbours and loving God. Our neighbours become for us the channel for loving God.

·       In the first reading (Exodus 22:20-26), we are given practical steps for living at peace with God and neighbour while loving them. If we love God and our neighbour, we must not molest strangers or oppress them; we must not be harsh to widows and orphans. When love for God and neighbour becomes certain, things become unthinkable for a Christian because love rules and reigns in us. 

·       In the second reading (1 Thessalonians 1:5-10), St. Paul charges us to let our love for one another become a model for Christian living. We must not flaunt it, but we must go on living our lives knowing that men and women are constantly being challenged by it. And when they see the genuineness of our love, they too will start loving unconditionally.

·       Dear friends in Christ, love is the highest of all virtues and a necessary ingredient for authentic Christian living. Due to our human weakness and challenges, we have betrayed our commitment to love God and our neighbour.

·       Today is yet another opportunity to renew that commitment and, like the psalmist, ask God for the strength and courage to truly love by saying “I love you, Lord, my strength” (Ps. 18:2). From God alone do we draw to continue to love even if it truly hurts.

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

·       Happy Sunday!!!

 


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