Bible
Study: Wisdom 9, 13 to 18. Philemon 9 to 10, 12 to 17 and Luke 14, 25 to 33.
Today’s
homily can be summarized with this popular song: Seek ye first oh, the kingdom
of God oh. And his righteousness oh, the rest na jara. However, Jesus is not
simply asking us to seek first God’s kingdom, he demands that we seek ONLY God’s
kingdom while we develop hatred for everything else.
Whether we
believe it or not, our country today is experiencing Christian persecution at
such an alarming rate as never been seen before. With over ninety percent of all
presidential appointments being Muslims, the Fulani herdsmen menace to which
our President is paying deaf ears and now the introduction of the Islamic
banking, we do not need a soothsayer to tell us that the future of Christianity
in this country is under serious threat.
If today,
someone points a gun on my head and ask me to denounce my faith in Christ or
declare that I am now a Muslim, what would be my response? If I watch and see
how my fellow Christians’ throats are being sliced like cattle in the name of
religion, would I still say I belong to Christ? These are not simply rhetorical
questions because the reality has dawned on us already. In a short time from
now, each of us would have to face that tough choice, whether to die or become
converted to another religion.
Like a man
who first considers the cost before embarking on a building project, Jesus is
asking us today to consider the cost of our choice to remain Christians. If I know
that I am not prepared to die, if I know I cannot give up everything, then
there is no point pretending to be a Christian. The kind of mind set I should
have towards life is that of a person who is living in the world but knows he
is not of the world. Three things from which I must give up my attachments are:
1. FAMILY
and LIFE ITSELF: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife
and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my
disciple.
2.
COMFORT: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my
disciple.
3. WEALTH:
“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all
your possessions.”
Part of
what I have to let go is my pride and ego which prevents me from forgiving
others. This is what St. Paul admonishes Philemon to do in our second reading. If
I keep holding on to past hurts refusing to let go, how can I let go of my
attachment to my own legitimate goods. Part of what it takes to give up my
possessions is to forgive people who wrong me or people who forcefully take or
steal my possessions.
The worst
mistake we can ever make as Christians is to try to eat our cake and still have
it. How? By not allowing our Christian faith affect our interior life. Instead of
Christianity bringing about self-denial, we now use Christianity itself for
self-aggrandizement. If as a Christian, I cannot deny myself from pleasure,
comfort or luxuries just to keep God’s commandments, how much more would happen
if I am faced with a gun on my head and asked to choose between Christ or
death?
Recently I
saw a news article where a commissioner in one state accused religious leaders
of being responsible for the moral decadence in our society stating that we men
of God hide under the cloak of religion to commit heinous crimes. If as a
priest, I cannot deny myself in other to be faithful to my vows but see my
priesthood as an extended form of bachelorhood that allows me to pick and use
any or as many women I want without any commitment, then it means what should
be a Cross for me has now become a net for evil. It means that even though I am
a priest, I am not yet a follower of Christ.
In my
attempt to eat my cake and have it by living a sinful life, I am like a man who
started building without putting the cost into consideration. We stared well
spiritually but today, we are uncompleted buildings; shadows of ourselves.
Following Christ is not easy but it either we follow completely (deny
ourselves, take up our crosses and hate material things around us), or we don’t
even follow at all. As our first reading warns us we cannot approach our
Christian walk while reasoning as mortals. We must pray for the Holy Spirit to
impart wisdom upon us so that we can know and do only that which pleases God.
Let Us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, the road is hard, difficult and narrow. Help me to keep denying myself
and hold on only to my Cross so that I can follow. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Happy Sunday.
Fr. Abu
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