15^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “CALLED AND SENT TO BRING CHRIST TO THE PEOPLE”

INTRODUCTION:

At an international gathering of young people in New York, a young American asked a girl from Burma what is the religion of the religion of the majority of the Burmese. The young woman told him that it was Buddhism. The American not wanting to feel special nor offend her, replied her; “oh well, that doesn’t matter; all religions are the same.” But the Burmese girl retorted; “if you had lived in my country, you would not have said that. I have seen what centuries of superstition, fear and indifference to social problems have done to my people. We need the truth and the upliftment of Christianity. My country needs Christ.” Every corner of the world; our town, our village, our homes, our factories, and our schools… needs Christ. Jesus has called and sent you and I as disciples and committed Christians to bring Christ and the truth of the gospel to our world. We must not shy away from this nor miss the mark of our mission. We must not be around and yet God still lacks disciples and prophets to teach his people.

 

THE FIRST READING (AMOS 7: 12 – 15)

The first reading presents us with the worst case scenario of our world today. The priest Amaziah was present at Bethel yet God still had the need to look for a prophet. God even had to send a herdsman and a farmer; Amos to prophesy and minister the truth to his people. Our world is full of this scenario of plenty of Christianity and yet no Christians; the scenario of plenty of churches and pastors, yet no true conversion or spiritual direction going on; the scenario of plenty preachers, but no one is preaching the truth or the true gospel values of Christ to the people (In Igbo; “mmadu no, mmadu ako”).

 

THE SECOND READING (EPH. 1: 3 – 14)

In the second reading, St. reminded the Ephesians and reminds us today; the God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places; he has chosen us in Him, He has bestowed grace, forgiveness and redemption on us; and He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will and His purpose and plans which he set forth in Christ. It is our duty then to foster this divine will and purpose of God in our world, leading the people around us to the gospel truth, to holiness, to blameless life and to the glory and possession of the heavenly kingdom.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 6: 7 – 13)

The gospel reading captured the call and first mission Jesus sent his Apostles. Interestingly, they went with nothing except with the authority of Jesus Christ. They preached peace and repentance to the people; they visited and healed the sick and cast out demons. We all share in this apostolic mission of preaching and bringing peace to our families and communities; we all share in the mission of bringing people to repent and believe in the gospel; and we all share in the mission of bringing healing to our sick world, and delivering and casting out the demon of corruption everywhere we go.

 

CONCLUSION:

Beloved brethren, we have been blessed and anointed at baptism, and we carry in good and varied measures, the authority of Christ as king, priest and prophet. Let us not compromise our faith and our mission like Amaziah the priest in the first reading, because of the things and glories of this world. Let us not keep God busy still searching for real Christians who would do for Him what you and I could have done for God; that is, bringing Christ and His gospel message to his people.

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 15^th Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Materialism: the enemy of our priestly and prophetic mission

Reading: Amos 7:12-15; Eph 1:3-14; Mk 6:7-13

Dear friends in Christ, last Sunday, we were reminded that on the day of our baptism, we were anointed with the oil of Chrism, made priests and prophets and commissioned to free our world of evil, to admonish wrongdoers and help in the building up of the kingdom of God on earth. We were told that this prophetic mission would face many obstacles from the world, then, we were taught how to deal with such obstacles when they come.

This Sunday, the Church reminds us that obstacles to our prophetic and priestly mission in the world can also come from within us, from our desires and how we treat material things. The Church tells us that how we manage or value material things in this world may distract us from God and from the mission He gave us.

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus sent out his disciples on a missionary journey. He gave them authority over unclean spirits and instructed them against materialism. They were not to take any money, bread, bag, or extra tunic. At the end of their mission, they came back with good news that demons were cast out and the sick were healed. Their testimony demonstrates that the success of our prophetic mission does not depend on material things.

Why did Jesus instruct His disciples not to go on mission with those material needs? The first reason was to help his disciples to stay focused on their mission to preach, heal and correct errors. Jesus knew the power and influence of materialism, and that any person trapped by the love of material things will surely lose focus on his mission. The second reason was to make the disciples fully dependent on Him as they carry out their service among the people. Every missionary draws his strength and directive from the Lord of the mission, Jesus Christ, rather than from material things. We know that whoever places a higher value on material things will prioritize them over his mission, and will do everything possible to obtain them, including doing things that contradict his mission.

Dear friends, today’s gospel is calling us to disconnect ourselves from anything that can divert our attention from Jesus and the mission he gave us, it invites us to detach ourselves from anything that could prevent us from speaking the truth, denouncing evil, and correcting others. It could be material wealth; it could be friends or attitudes. It rather encourages us to only go with the staff, our symbol of authority and support with which we can wage war against errors in the society and pull back those who are going astray; and our sandals to protect us from being contaminated by the dirt in the society, by the wrong which we are fighting against.  

The first reading showed us how love for material things can undermine the mission given to us by God. Amaziah was a priest in Northern Israel, a city where the people suffered from social injustice. God commissioned him to preach against social injustice and liberate the people. However, Amaziah’s love for material things diverted his attention from his mission. Instead of preaching against evil in the city, Amaziah got himself entangled with the rich who oppressed the people and then used his position to consolidate the evil status quo in the city. Amaziah traded his voice for material gains; he valued material things over his mission and his God.

It was because of the failure of Amaziah and other prophets in their prophetic and priestly mission in Northern Israel that God chose Amos from Southern Israel, made him a prophet and sent him to prophesy in Northern Israel. As we saw in the first reading, Amaziah confronted Amos and ordered him to leave northern Israel so that Amos will not shut the source of their material benefits. Dear friends, attachment to material things or inordinate love for material things can destroy our relationship with God, it can make us choose evil over good, it can make us choose the devil over God, it can close our mouth from saying the truth, , it can darken our minds and our conscience to the point that we will no longer see evil where there is evil, it can make us to compromise our good values, it can make us abandon the Church and our relationship with God in pursuit of material gains. We have seen the number of people that come to Church these days. Most people prioritize their businesses and farms over their relationship with God.

In the second reading, St Paul reminded us that God chose us for His mission in Christ before the foundation of the world and that He has already blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places to ensure the success of our mission. Therefore, becoming attached to material things will not help our mission; rather, it will expose us to contamination from the same errors we are meant to correct. Thus, to have authority over unclean spirits and correct errors as Jesus mandated us, St Paul urges us to be blameless and holy, so that we can show superiority over the mundane mentalities of this world and errors in the society.

Peace be with you.  

Fr Isaac Chima

 15^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: YOU HAVE A MISSION: HOW TO GO ABOUT IT

(Mark 6:7-13)

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. On this day of the Lord, Jesus called and sent His apostles two by two. Prior to their departure, Jesus sat them down and gave them some instructions that would guide them. These instructions are also important to us who are sent into our own world as apostles of God.

Let us, therefore, pay attention to Jesus Christ, who calls us to be with Him in order to be sent out to draw all men to where He is.

 

HAVE AUTHORITY OVER THE UNCLEAN

To have authority over the unclean demands that we be clean, pure, and holy. We should not be like what we condemn. Our mission on earth demands that we manifest our superiority over and above the various spirits, mentalities, programs, projects, and forces that are Antichrist. We have to do an introspective work. The mission should begin with us. We have to allow the word and will of God to take root in us. We need to be purified by the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be set free from mundane ties and diabolic strangleholds. We need the Spirit of discernment to know these spirits and be able to authoritatively dismantle them from their foundation. May the Good Spirit of God lead us.

 

NOTHING BUT THE STAFF

In our mission on earth, we should go with nothing but Christ. Any other thing outside Christ comes from the evil one.

The staff in hand gives us spiritual support and confidence. With it, we are able to wage war against the enemies of our faith. With the staff we stand firm against heresies, we confront falsehood, we journey without falling, we guard, guide, and direct in accordance with the will of God.

We go with the staff to strike down and crush the intimidating forces in the world and the wild beasts coming to draw us and the people of God from God. With the staff, we bring back erring brethren to the faith, encouraging them to remain in the one fold. The staff is also used for correction and discipline. Hold your staff as a Christian firm; your staff as a Christian father, mother, political leader, civil servant, etc. Stamp your authority as a child of God. Let everyone around you know where you are coming from and where you are going to (heaven).

 

WEAR YOUR SANDALS

The sandals protect you from direct contact with the ground, with weapons and safety from reptiles. Do not allow forces from below to pull you down. Trample upon the satanic influences. Don't listen to the deceit of the world, the devil, and the flesh that claims to give you protection. You bear the mark of the Holy Trinity on you. No other mark or incantation should be traced on you. You don't need any other extra thing to be added. In Christ, you've got all you need to achieve your goal. Only God will fortify you in the mission He has sent you on earth. He who called you is worthy. Run to Him for your safety.

 

TOUCH LIVES

The mission is given to us all today to touch lives positively. To bring people to repentance. To bring healing to the sick, hope to the hopeless and deliverance to those possessed by demons.

Let us go about these missions diligently. We may face challenges along the way, but the grace of God works in us as we journey with Him. Some will receive us, and others will reject us. But let's always go to people as 'Godsents' that He may bless us for being His missionaries.

 

LET US PRAY

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of today. Thank You for reminding us of our mission on earth. May we follow Your instructions and go about them under the inspiration and direction of Your Spirit through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Happy Sunday (15th Week, Ordinary Time, Yr B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh