Homily for Monday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 20th September, 2021. The Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Taegon & Comp.

 Homily for Monday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time  Year B,  20th September, 2021. The Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Taegon & Comp.

Reading: Ezra 1:1-6; Ps. 126; Luke 8:16-18

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

LET YOUR  LIGHT ILLUMINATE THE DARKNESS AROUND YOU

Light is a very familiar words in the scriptures, light is a symbol that represents awareness, knowledge, and understanding. Light clarifies, Illuminates, Inspires, defeats darkness, shines fully and freely, it guides, stimulates and motivates, provokes action, it irritates those who like darkness, confirms truth, purifies, exposes sin, warms and assures us of safety and also facilitates progress.

 

Little wonder, Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light.

So, as people who have been purified by the light of Christ through our baptism, we are entrusted with the mission of illuminating the darkness around us. For during our baptism, we were given candle light which we are to kept brightly burning as a flame of faith in our hearts as we journey with others towards our heavenly kingdom. This therefore, clearly defines our role in the mission of Christ, which is to illuminates darkness and reflects the glory of God in the darkness of the passing world. 

Hence, every Christian is called by God to influence the world positively through the light of our faith, just like Cyrus king of Persia in our first reading, who was the light that illuminate the darkness in the midst of the people of Israel who are in the darkness of exiles. For he ordered the people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple of God and so free them from the darkness of exiles and slavery and brought the light of hope to the people. Just like St Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions whose memorial we celebrate today. For they gave up their lives during the persecution of Christians  in Korea as light of faith for the people and so illuminate the darkness of sin and wickedness.

Dear friends, the focus of today’s message is that all of us are called to positively influence the lives of humanity by our attitude and character which should be like that of purifying light. Where there is darkness we should let the light of Christ illuminate. Where pride, selfishness, corruption and greed have brought darkness, let the light of our good attitude and character illuminate it once again. Where sin and immorality have made humanity filthy and ugly, let our light of holiness purify. Therefore, we must not let our lights be hidden under the darkness of the passing world, rather we must let it shine anywhere we find ourselves.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle everyday to truly carryout the mission entrusted to us, give us the grace and courage to dedicate ourselves, our time, our energy and effort to becoming true light  that illuminate our families, society and the world filled with darkness of sin and evil. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.