Homily for Tuesday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd August, 2022.

 Readings: 2 Thes. 2:1-3. 14-17, Ps.96 , Matt.23:23-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

ARE YOU A BLIND AND HYPOCRITICAL LEADER?

God created humanity to be managers of all that He created. To carryout this responsibility, He gave us the mantle of leadership as one of the characteristics of the human person, that which makes us unique from every other creatures. Thus leadership is a gift from God by which we serve Him and our neighbour responsibly in this world. 

But this great gift has often been abused by humanity because of greed, love of power, fame and selfishness. This was the attitude of most of the Scribes and the Pharisees in the Gospel today. For they had the responsibility to lead the people to the Kingdom of heaven, but they neither enter nor allow those who want to enter to go in.

Hence, Jesus called them hypocrites, blind guide because, they misuse the gift of leadership entrusted to them. Since many of them multiplies the laws to suit their agenda by enforcing a very strict interpretation and application of the law to the smallest details while neglecting true purpose and meaning of the law. They only focus on the letter while neglecting the spirit of the Law, thereby making the law a mere formality that gives rooms for people to take God’s law for granted. 

And such attitudes towards the Law are meaningless if not accompanied properly with the desire and understanding from the heart and soul that truly love God. Thus, he called us to embrace love, justice, mercy, good faith as good qualities of a leader. Meanwhile, St. Paul in our second reading tell us to stand firm and keep the traditions that we were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter and not be swayed by worldly temptations and false leaders who only wished to achieve their own ambitions and mislead others from the path of truth. He also, asked us not to be  too excited or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from him, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. We should never let anyone deceive us in anyway.

Dear friends, What type of a leader are you? Are you a blind and hypocritical leader or a committed and responsible leader? This is important because the major problem in our societies are caused by bad leadership. So today we are called not to be hypocrite or blind guide but good leaders who are committed and responsible with whatever we are entrusted with. As leaders we are called to serve God and humanity in any capacity we find ourselves. Remember, the first person to lead is your very self from which we can extend it to others in our families, societies and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you have given to all humanity the grace of leadership, but we have often misuse it because of greed and selfishness. As we embrace the gift of leadership today, may we never be tired of doing what is good. And as we struggle it out the remaining days of this month and the rest of the year, may You’re the sole fount of true wisdom and knowledge guide all our decisions in life, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.