Homily for Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th October, 2021. World Mission Sunday

 Homily for Thirtieth  Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th October, 2021. World Mission Sunday

Readings: Jer. 31:7-9; Ps. 126; Heb.5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT OBSTACLE DO YOU WANT THE LORD TO TAKE WAY IN YOUR LIFE SO THAT WE CAN BE EFFECTIVE MISSIONARIES

The true sign of a healthy Church is seen and established from the missionary activities carried out by the people of God. This is the fact that we all must understand because going on mission is an important aspect of our Christian faith. So, today as we celebrate the World Mission Sunday which began in 1926 by the degree of Pope Pius X, we are called to reflect on the missionary mandate that Jesus gave us, thereby reminding us that we are called to be missionaries, professing our faith to the whole world, telling them about the truth and love of God which we have found in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 As Christians, all of us by the virtue of our baptism have received this mission from Jesus. It is not reserved for any group of persons such  as the clergy, religious or missionary societies. No every baptized person is obligated to be part of the missionary activities of the Church by witnessing with our lives and by supporting the missionary activities which we are called to do today and always.

But why must we go on mission? The reason why we must go on mission and also support the missionary activities is because we are beneficiaries of missionary sacrifices of others who had experienced the awesome gift of God’s love and goodness and made them known to us. Secondly,  we ourselves have in so many ways experienced the love of God and his benevolence, the we must extend to others. But the most important reason why we must go on mission is to establish and constantly renew the knowledge of God’s Kingdom in the hearts of humanity as Jesus commanded us to do. We need to let humanity know about the salvation our Lord Jesus has won for us by revealing the awesome love of God for all humanity.

Little wonder we heard the Lord through prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today saying: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout: ‘The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!’ See, I will bring them back from the land of the North and gather them from the far ends of earth; all of them: the blind and the lame, women with child, women in labour: a great company returning home. They had left in tears, I will comfort them as I lead them back; I will guide them to streams of water, by a smooth path where they will not stumble. Yes, the Lord cares and loves his people. He wishes to gather us together from where we are scattered, humiliated and lost in the world in order to share in his heavenly kingdom which our Lord Jesus came to establish in the hearts of humanity. 

Thus, in our second reading we heard that our Lord Jesus Christ is the saviour of all humanity and the High Priest of all, appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathize with those who are ignorant or uncertain. Here, we see the power and mandate of Christ to all towards the missionary activities of the redemption of humanity. So, from the Priestly function of Christ, we all share in the Priestly missionary mandate of Christ which requires sacrifice of all we have: our time, talents, resources and even our lives. Therefore, what is stopping us from being part of these missionary activities?

Today, as well celebrate the World Mission Sunday, the Lord is asking us as he asked Bartimaeus in our Gospel passage saying: what do you want me to do for you so that you can be effective missionary? For Bartimaeus, he only wants to see again and so this was granted to him and immediately his sight returned, he followed Jesus along the road and so became an object of evangelization and hope to the people.

Here, we see a man whose faith led him to put off his former identity as a blind man and now cried in the identity of hope and restoration. Bartimaeus’s faith involves proclamation, prayer, liberation, personal encounter and following of Jesus, which is the most important requirements for our missionary activities. More so, Jesus in this healing reveals his compassion towards human sufferings and wants us to imitate Bartimaeus’s faith in our struggles and challenges of life. 

Dear friends, what is that obstacle in your life that distract and limits your missionary zeal and passion? What is that one thing you need in your life? Have we ever felt helpless? Do we feel the need of Jesus’ help in some part of our lives? Do we know people who are helpless and in need of some help? How strong is our compassion towards them? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them. How does he see them? Why not in faith present our needs before Jesus who is willing and ready to help us.

Therefore, in the light of celebrating the World Mission Sunday, let us, like Jesus, reach out to people around us who are really in need of our assistance. This includes our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that, you may be the only person who can brings the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we celebrate the World Mission Sunday, help us to overcome the obstacle in our lives. May we experience once again your compassionate love and grant our hearts desire according to your Holy will, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Mission Sunday to you all.