Homily for April 26, 2018.
“Truly,
truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is
sent greater than he who sent him.” John 13:16.
One of the temptations of Jesus after his forty-day fast was a
temptation to PRIDE. Satan told Jesus to let himself fall from the pinnacle of
the temple in the presence of the people so that by so doing, God would send
Angels to prevent him from falling and people would begin to revere him
assuming he fell from heaven to the earth.
This temptation remains forever rife among ministers of God
today; it is the temptation to make ourselves appear larger-than-life, greater
than the ordinary, a temptation to make people believe we are closer to God and
so therefore, higher, more important, more sophisticated, more intelligent,
wiser than other human beings. At times, we speak as though we even hold face
to face meetings with God and the Angels daily or that what we hear, no one
else can hear.
When you go through today’s Gospel passage, you would see how
Jesus used an example to pain the perfect picture of what ministry is all
about. It is simply servant’s duty. Being a priest, a pastor, or even a bishop,
a general overseer or whatever is a matter of stooping down low to wash
people’s feet. The man of God is not greater than the people of God; he is their
servant; he works for them.
We get it all wrong when we allow the praises of people enter
our heads. We make ourselves so unavailable that we only pick calls from and
attend to the pastoral needs of the rich, the top politicians and big donors.
Some of us even charge consultation fee. We get carried away by success. We are
like that houseboy who makes himself the house owner because his master is not
at home and succeeds in making the neighbours believe so.
I am tired of seeing videos and pictures going viral on the
internet about the crazy things people do in the name of church. That one is a
believer does not mean his or human rights have been taken away. That you go to
church does not mean you now lack sense. The church should enhance your dignity
as a person not to turn you into a “mumu” like one remote-controlled.
A lot of the worship we give our men of God today rightly
belongs to God. We must learn to distinguish between the servant who is sent
and the one sending the message. Do not allow the man of God step on your head,
insult you, abuse you, or demean you in the name of working miracle or
displaying greatness. He is just a servant, just a tool, an instrument through
which God speaks and works. Without the power of God at work, he is just like
any other man on the street. So why give him credit for what is not really his?
In our first reading today, we hear Paul preach for the first
time since his conversion. Will a man who once hated Christianity with a
passion suddenly turn around on his own volition and start promoting God’s
kingdom? It simply shows us that it is just God at work.
God’s work without humility on our part is just talent-show; it
is leveraging on God; taking something from God and then using it to charm the
people.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, instil in me the virtue of humility and
service. Amen.
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 4th Week
of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 13:13-25 and John 13:16-20).*
Fr. Abu.
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