Homily for Friday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th September, 2022. The Memorial of St. Jerome

 Readings:  Job 38: 1.12-21.40:3-5; Ps. 139, Luke 10:13-16

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT LET JESUS SAY WOE! TO YOU FOR FAILING TO EMBRACE THE WORD OF GOD

Reflecting on the ugly and fragile nature of our societies and the world as a whole, especially how the streets are full of people struggling and suffering, the markets are full of people buying, selling, cheating and manipulating others. Our leaders are so busy with acquiring, manipulating and embezzling the common resources, not minding the struggles, the tears, the disappointments that people are passing through everyday, as some people have lost hope in themselves and even in everything they do. We are  blessed with every good thing you can talk about but we have misused them and use them to abuse one another. We are just so busy with everything except the very essence of our existence, that is, the salvation of our souls. 

This ugly and fragile kind of condition is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today as he continues with his reproaches, this time to cities where he had done great miracles, yet the people failed to embrace the life of the Gospel he preached. Hence he reproached them saying: woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you’. 

No doubt, Jesus has taught us about the kingdom of God and proclaimed a message of healing and conversion but his teaching and powerful deeds have not yet been embraced by humanity. Hence, Jesus in this Gospel is not just rebuking the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, but all humanity for not being open to the fruits of his Gospel, calling us to reflect on how we are losing out on what God is offering us. Because God will always have plans to correct us if we are ready to listen to him just like Job in our first reading today, who surrendered to the will of God after he realized the awesome power of God for he was ignorant of it before this encounter.

Little wonder, St. Jerome whose memorial we celebrate today says: that ignorance of the scripture is ignorant of Christ. Hence today, we can recall his great contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful especially for his compilation of the Latin translation of the Greek Bible. Jerome who experienced all sorts of worldly pleasures as a young student of philosophy. But later his conscience led him to conversion into the Christian faith as he renounced all of his past sinful ways of life and devoted himself deeply into the study of the Scriptures, from which comes all his great works we still study today.

Dear friends, we must not let Jesus say woe to us for failing to embrace the Word of God. Though, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of threats on these big and powerful cities that represents all of us and humanity at large. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: have we really embraced the Word of God we hear everyday? Is the Word bearing fruits in our lives? Can we recognize in this fragile condition the great work that Jesus is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God? Do we think that repentance is for others and not for us? Jesus is saying woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the Gospel teachings, because he seem to expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter him in prayers. 

Therefore, God is calling us to repentance, He wants to come into our souls and dwells. Today He is rebuking all humanity, He wants us to come to Him for He comes to us more than we go to Him. Hence, if we believe in God, and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences our sins, that is why He kept reminding us about the up coming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuse to believe in God, we may end up in self destruction. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace your words today, may we experience your love, joy and healing both physically, materially and more importantly spiritually, as we wait patiently for the restoration of all humanity from the ugly and fragile condition of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.