Homily For Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 13th February, 2022

 Homily For Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 13th February, 2022

Readings: Jer. 17:5-8;  Ps. 1:1-6; 1Cor.15:12.16-20; Luke 6:17.20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE POOR AND HUNGRY FOR VIRTUAL DEEDS, BUT WOE TO YOU WHO ARE RICH IN VICES AND SINFUL DEEDS

Oftentimes when we reflect on the ups and downs of life, the struggles, the tears and the disappointments that people are passing through everyday. We wonder and feel that Life is not fair to some people. But is there anybody who has it all in this world? The truth is that, we all struggle everyday to make significant impact in our society. And this significant impact often brings division and separation based on class, social and political affiliation. Hence we talk about the poor and the rich in relation to what people have and possessed. 

But this is not the same with Jesus, for today in our Gospel passage, Jesus talks about the blessings of the poor and the lots of the rich in relation to the virtue of humility and pride towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven. For he said, blessed are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now: you shall laugh. But woe to you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Woe to you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.

Here Jesus is referring to our disposition towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven. He wants us to realize that we are not living simply to be happy in this life, but we should be conscious of our heavenly home by constantly examining ourselves on the deeper value of our ways of life in the light of what we can bring with us to eternal life. In this teaching commonly known as the Beatitudes, Jesus gave us the qualities that make for a happy and blessed life. To be blessed means to have inner joy and happiness because of God’s favour upon us. While to be called woe is to have sorrow and pain because we have turned away from God.

However, the poor, the hungry and those weeping in this Gospel passage are not just referring to the regular poor and hungry people around us. Rather, Jesus is referring to the fundamental character of the virtue of humility that is rooted in the poverty of the spirit, that consciousness of one’s own weakness and total dependent on God, which can be found in the lives of both regular poor or rich people and can also be lacking in neither depending on one’s disposition. 

In all these things, what God wants is for us to be excellent in good virtues, for we  heard through prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today, that  curse be on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord. He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: but blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, He is like a tree by the waterside that never ceases to bear fruit.’

Dear friends, our world is in need of more virtuous  people rather than rich people. However, blessed are those who are virtuous and rich, but woe to those that are rich and lack virtue for they shall soon mourn and weep. And St. Paul in our second reading tells us to remind faithful in doing good in accordance with the will of the Lord whose death and resurrection has purchased for us the price of eternal life.  For if our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people. 

But we are most privilege people for as long as we remain faithful in doing Good according to the will of the Lord, we will be rewarded. Hence the psalmist says: blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and all that he does shall prosper

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are always engrossed with the pride of life, an ugly attitude that often separate us from you. Grant us the grace of humility so that in our poverty, hungry, mourning and hatred in this world, our lives may aim towards our heavenly kingdom and make us a shining splendour in our families, society and in the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.