Homily
for July 16, 2017
The book of Hebrews describes the
word of God as “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
to the division of soul and spirit.” Hebrews 4:12. The word of God unlike any
other word we hear is living and active. God’s word is alive. As John tells us:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.” John 1:1.
Just as God spoke creation into
existence, God’s words are never empty; they always create something in our
spirits. This is what our first reading today teaches us. Just as rain does not
fall down without causing plants to grow, God’s words are never uttered in
vain. They are like seeds that must grow whenever and wherever they are
planted.
However, as Jesus would explain in
our Gospel passage, the fruits of the seed depends on the type of soil it falls
into. That is to say, the word of God despite being powerful itself needs our
effort and corporation in other to be effective in our lives.
If you go round town on a Sunday
morning, you are sure to come across hundreds or even thousands of Churches
where you find huge gatherings of Christians. That the word of God is preached
everywhere today is beyond doubt but when you look at the level of atrocities being
committed in our society today, you begin to wonder if there are really any
Christians in this town.
In fact, it almost seems as if the
more Churches are opened, the more our society drowns in immorality, corruption,
crime and all sorts of evils. Has Christianity really succeeded in Nigeria? Is
it the case that we have more church goers and less Christians?
By the way, before we go about
examining all those who go to church, let us personalize it. After all, charity
begins at home. Since I became a Christian, how many people have become born
again through my influence? How many people have I converted to God?
Since I was baptized and confirmed,
how many souls have I touched? How many lives have I imparted? How many sick
persons have I laid my hands upon? How many poor people have I changed their
lives for the better? I call myself a Christian, how many people have I taken
away from immorality, drug addiction, licentiousness, secret cults, kidnapping
and other evils? Have I been fruitful as a Christian or am I just a Sunday-Sunday-bench-warmer?
Do I just come to church to shout,
clap, dance and expect my miracle only to go back home and live like someone
who does not know Jesus? Do I show good example to my children and my neighbours
or am I simply a scandal?
Do I attend all-nights where I shout
Holy Ghost fire only to attend another all-night in a club or in a boy/girlfriend’s
house the following day where I engage in fornication? As a married person, am I
faithful to my marital vows or do I go about justifying my infidelity?
As a shepherd of souls, do I practice
what I preach or am I simply after money? Do I call myself a Christian when I am
a womanizer, a thief and a drunkard? As a lecturer, do I threaten my students
to sleep with me or fail to get the marks they rightly deserve?
We can go on and on but the point is
clear; that we Christians today live like pagans or even worse. There are three
possible reasons for this: either we have allowed the birds of the air snatch
the word of God from our hearts, or we don’t have deep roots like plants
growing on rocks or we have too many thorns surrounding us thereby choking away
our spiritual life.
It is time for me to examine myself very
well and find out what exactly is preventing me from bearing thirty, sixty and
hundred fold. Perhaps I don’t really allow God’s word any space in my heart
anymore. Maybe I need to repent today and come back to God. Maybe I need to
remove the rocks preventing me from growing spiritually.
Maybe I worry too much about material
things, nice clothes, shoes, career advancement or about how to make money or
how to take care of my family. I work for almost 24hours hustling for my daily
bread yet I cannot even spend up to 30mins each day at prayer or Bible study. I
need to realize that only God can take care of me and I must allow God take the
driver’s seat in my life.
Maybe my desire for wealth has now
become a thorn in the flesh of my spiritual life. In my attempt to make it in
life, I commit sin anyhow as if it is money I worship. I sell my body, I sell
my conscience, I tell lies in my business, I change figures and so on. It is
time for me to remove these thorns in my life and give God his due.
Indeed, the only way we can be good
Christians is if our goal in life is to become saints.
Let
us pray: Lord Jesus, your word is powerful but my will is mine. Help me corporate
with the word that is sown in my everyday. Amen.
*Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Fifteenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A. Bible Study: Isaiah 55:10-11, Romans 8:18-23 and Matthew 13:1-9).*
Fr. Abu.
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