Homily for Wednesday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th August, 2021

 Homily for Wednesday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th August, 2021

Readings: 1 Thess.2:9-13, Ps.139, Matt.23:27-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LIVING A LIFE OF PACKAGING MEANS LIVING LIKE A WHITEWASHED TOMB

In our society today, the word “packaging” is one of the popular terminologies used by people to describe how they make things that are not too good to look extremely good, and this has serious negative affect in our society today, as we have actually lost focus of how we ought to do things. Thus, most people and things that appear to be good to us are not really what we think they are. 

For most people and the things we see are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful and draws the admiration of people, but within it are full of dead man's bones and all sorts of corruption just the way Jesus described the attitude and life style of Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel passage, when he addressed their attitude which is not far from what we have today in our societies.

This is because the scribes and the Pharisees are interested mostly in external beauty of things around them while neglecting the essence. They are self-satisfied, and think that they are above the law. They look good from the outside but ugly and dirty within. They neglected the deeper things around them. They are interested only on worldly goods and not the things of the heart like justice, mercy, love and compassion. So Jesus challenged them as he challenges us to change our ugly ways of life, to change from within us. This is very difficult to change. Nevertheless, we need to change in so many ways especially as regards our attitude towards things of this passing world.

Dear friends, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of admonition to the Scribes and Pharisees. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced the Word of God we hear everyday? Is the Word bearing fruits in our lives? Can we recognize in this fragile condition in our society, the great deeds that Jesus is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God by changing our ugly life of whitewashed tomb? Hence, Jesus is saying woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the Gospel teachings, because he seem to expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter him in prayers. 

Therefore, God is calling us to repentance, He wants to come into our souls and dwells. But he cannot dwell in a heart that is like a whitewashed tomb. Thus, Jesus is rebuking all humanity, he wants us to stop living a life of packaging, deception and corruption.  And this is what St. Paul  is telling us in our first reading today when he said, You can remember how we taught you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom. Hence, if we believe in God, and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences of our sins, that is why He keeps reminding us about the up coming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuse to change, we will end up in self destruction. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world of whitewashed tombs, help us to be wise enough to discern and not be carried away or be distracted by the beauty of the whitewashed tombs we see in most people and in things around the world today. And as we struggle with the events of life, may God guide and direct our paths. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.