Homily for Friday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd October, 2021, The Memorial of St. John Paul II.

 Homily for Friday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd October, 2021, The Memorial of St. John Paul II. 

Readings:  Romans.7:18-25; Ps 119; Luke 12: 54-59

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY HAVE WE FAILED TO READ THE SIGNS THAT TELL US THAT THIS WORLD IS PASSING BY

As human person, we are good at discerning the event happening around us in order to predict what can be the outcome of such event in the future. We often read the signs of nature in order to make prediction of what will happen in the future. Little wonder Jesus while rebuking the crowd in our Gospel reading today said: when you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times the events of this passing world.

Here, Jesus condemned the ugly attitudes of the crowds for they can read the signs of nature and so predict the future, but now out of jealousy and selfishness they have failed to recognize the truth by refusing to acknowledge in Jesus one who comes from God, one who speaks God’s word and acts in the power of God. So Jesus rebuked them for such hypocritical attitude. While in the second aspect of the Gospel, Jesus is asking us to put things right while there is still time if not we will should be willing to duly face the punished for all our wrong doings.

Thus St. Paul in our first reading says: I know that nothing  good is living in me, that is, in my flesh, for though the will to do what is good is in me, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, because instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want.

Dear friends, there are so many signs around us today. What is our disposition towards this signs? Can we identify the signs of our time? How can we understand and interpret them? Are we reading the hand of God in what is going on around us especially in our country? Now we are called to respond to this signs? What do we think Jesus would do if he is living with us now? Today, Jesus is calling us to discern our actions towards the signs we see in the world we are living in now.  

Though, it is very easy to condemn the ugly situation going on in our world today, but are we learning anything from it. Are we having any sense of guilt and repentance. Why allow this evil to linger in us by getting into endless arguments and deception when we already know what is right? Why wasting so much time arguing about unnecessary things while missing out the main points that are more basic and challenging. I think is time we come back to the real issues which are justice, honesty, transparency, equity, equal respect for human life and properties. These are the things we all need to put right at all levels and sectors we find ourselves as we wait on the awesome day of the Lord.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, in every event that happens to us you said, has your mark on it. Through the intercessions of St. John Paul II help us to discern the signs of our time, in order to embrace your will for us and to follow you wherever you may lead us as we struggle to overcome the ugly situation in our country. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God protect and keep us