Homily For Tuesday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 8th February, 2022, The Optional Memorial of Saints Josephine Bakhita. The International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking

 Homily For Tuesday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 8th February, 2022, The Optional Memorial of Saints Josephine Bakhita. The International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking

Readings: 1 King. 8: 22-23.27-30; Ps.84, Mark 7:1-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET US EMBRACE THE TRUE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND SEPARATE THEM FROM HUMAN REGULATIONS

Oftentimes, we find it difficult to separate the commandments of God from human traditions. This no doubt plays out in our making and interpreting of laws and it has great consequences in our relationship with God and our neighbours just as we have it in our Gospel reading today, where we heard how the Pharisees multiplied religious laws and rituals to such an extent that it was impossible to know them all, talk more of observing them. So Jesus accuses them of  neglecting the true commandment of God over their petty regulations. 

These petty laws and traditions were highly detailed but unwritten human laws which the Scribes and Pharisees regarded as having the same binding force as the Law of Moses. However, Jesus was not totally against these laws and regulations. What he was against was the legalism by which the mere observance of some external actions were equated with being a devout lover of God. Hence he reminds them of the quotes from the prophet Isaiah saying: “this people honours me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless; the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.” (Is 29:13). 

Hence, Jesus goes ahead to illustrates the hypocrisy involved in this ugly attitudes by showing how some supposedly devout people neglected the basic responsibility of respect and care for parents by claiming that they had consecrated all that they owned to God and the temple, while in fact they are keeping it for their own personal use. So for one to declare something to be “Corban,” an offering devoted to God, when his parents are in need, is in direct conflict with the commandment of God that says: honour your father and mother.

 Here, Jesus made it clear that the real commandments of God is the unconditional love of God and neighbour which is evident in our first reading where we heard Solomon after building a house for the Lord expressing his reverence and love for God and his chosen people saying: hear the entreaty of your servant and of Israel your people as they pray in this place, hear; and, as you hear, forgive.

In the light of this love, the Church today calls our attention to some ugly activities of human trafficking. 

This is important as we celebrate the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita. She was a former slave from Sudan who was a victim of human trafficking. As a child, she had already suffered much, captured by slavers and treated horribly as a slave passing on from master to master. Bakhita had the fortunate chance to escape slavery through her former master, who was touched and converted by her virtuous life. So she eventually found her way to freedom and later joined the religious community in which she spent the rest of her life.

The outstanding thing about St Bakhita was that she never held grudges for her past slavers and masters, all those who had made her life very difficult and painful. In embracing the Christian faith and in dedicating herself completely to the Lord, Bakhita showed many people what it means to be touched by Jesus and be true disciples and followers of Christ. And so today, we are called to pray for victims of human trafficking.

Dear friends, as we examine our hearts to see if we have in anywhere engaged in human trafficking or Victims of human trafficking. We should never engage ourselves in such ugly activities. Therefore, we should examine ourselves to see if there  are elements of the Pharisee in us and these happen whenever, we focus our attention on laws while neglecting the spirit of the law which is the real focus of today’s Gospel. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of pride and greediness, we have often neglected the true meaning of your commandment of love but hold on to unnecessary human traditions which lead us into destructive criticism of others. Help us through the intercessions of  St. Bakhtia to change this ugly attitudes in order to embrace your teaching on love and humility. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.