Homily for March 31, 2017.
If for instance you go to the market and find two products; one
boldly written “Made in Nigeria” and another written “Made in Germany,” which
of them will you buy knowing that both are of the same price and will serve the
same purpose?
Does where a person come from matter? Think about this, is it
the colour of one’s skin or the country where one’s parents are from that matter?
Or isn’t it the content of one’s character?
There was an argument among the people who heard Jesus. For some,
no one had the wisdom and intelligence to speak like this except he is the
Christ. But for others, since Jesus was from Galilee, he could not possibly be
the Christ.
In fact, one of the accusations of the Jews against Jesus was
that he came from the wrong town. For them, Jesus deserved to die because he is
fake; Galilee lacks the capacity to produce prophets. Their attitude is quite similar
to that of Nathanael who asked: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John
1:46.
The problem of
the Jews and that of Nathanael is the problem that we often have; it is a
problem of labelling! When a thing is given a label or a tag, it becomes
difficult to think of it in any other way. Labelling is dangerous.
When a country or
town has a negative label, anyone from that place automatically receives such a
label. To say that Jesus could not be the Christ all because he came from
Galilee is like saying I must be a corrupt person since I come from Nigeria. In
philosophy, this kind of reasoning is called a fallacy.
Even in our day, many suffer innocently simply because of the
label attached to the place they come from. Nigeria is backward today because when
there is something to be done, the most qualified are left out while people are
put in positions simply because they come from a particular State or
geo-political region.
The painful thing is that even we Christians carry out unjust
acts against others not because they are bad but because of the labels we
attach unconsciously to them.
In our first reading, Jeremiah laments his own ordeals of
vengeance to God. He wants God to fight on his behalf. This is the best
attitude we must have in the face of persecution and injustice from others. Let
God fight for you. Who can battle with the Lord?
Do not limit yourself because of the place you come from. Let
your light shine! God gives his talents not according to geopolitical zones or
countries. Never go about assuming you are cursed because no one in your family
or your village has succeeded. You can be the first!
Where you come from does not matter. It is the quality of who
you are that matter. Develop yourself. Be the best you can ever be. Your
village may have been labelled. Challenge that label, you be light to change
that label; you be the prophet that came from Galilee.
In the end, Jesus proved them all wrong. He showed them that He
is God and the fact that he came from Galilee does not matter.
I will rise and shine. I will be who God wants me to be. One day
people will ask: “Where is he from?” And they will be shocked to hear I am a
Nigerian or that I am from one small unknown village.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, may the place I come from not be a hindrance in
my life. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 4th Week of Lent. Bible
Study: Jeremiah 11:18-20 and John 7:40-52).
Fr. Abu.
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