Homily for Tuesday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 27th September, 2022. The Memorial of St. Vincent De Paul

 Readings: Job 3:1-3.11-17.20-23; Ps.88; Luke 9:51-56

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW TO PATIENTLY DEAL WITH STRONG OPPOSITIONS OF LIFE 

Oftentimes when we find ourselves in difficult situations caused by our opponent, the first instinct that comes to our minds is to do away with the opponent and ensure that he or she does not exist anymore. Sometimes we feel like crushing anything that stands on the way towards our goal, especially when we think that we have the power and authority do so. 

This is the disposition of James and John in our Gospel passage today, when they said to Jesus: ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ This is because the people of Samaritan village will not let Jesus and his disciples past through their town to Jerusalem. For opposing them the two disciples felt that they should be consumed by fire. But Jesus turned and rebuked his disciples, and then went off to another village.

Here, Jesus is showing us how to deal with opposition of life. For in life we must surely encounter oppositions, but what makes a difference is how we deal with it. In the Gospel the two disciples of Jesus feels that the best way to deal with such opposition is by calling down fire on the opponent, just like most of us will have done if we have the power and authority to do so. However, this is not the same with Jesus, who though had the absolute power and authority to command fire to consume anything he wishes, but in this case, he chooses to flee from the problem not because he was a coward, no, rather because he hoped to experiencing peace and teach us that sometimes the best way to deal with oppositions is to walk away.

This does not mean that he was weak, rather he wants us to understand that a change of location does  not make us weak or remove our enemies, it only changes where the battle takes place. And for Jesus the battlefield is not the Samaritan territory, but the heart of the human person who occupied the territory. Perhaps, Jesus did not come to destroy the people, if he had come for that purpose, he would have destroyed these Samaritans; but he came to save. And so he bears patiently the ignorance of the opposers and we too must learn to do the same, just like Job in  our first reading today who when faced with the oppositions of life remained silent and never give in to the pressures of life. Rather when he broke his silence, he only cursed the day of his birth saying: may the day perish when I was born, and the night that told of a boy conceived. Why did I not die new-born, not perish as I left the womb? 

Dear friends, we must learn from Jesus how to walk away from oppositions of life for the sake of peace. We  should not be like James and John wanting to destroy those that opposed us. Rather we must learn to acquire the spirit of the Lord Jesus; temper our zeal like his; seek to bear patiently with those who stands on our way. Let us seek peace, let us be patient, and forgiving. Let us not allow the feeling of revenge to consume us into hurting those with whom we feel cannot resolve our differences. Let us learn from St. Vincent De Paul whose memorial we celebrate today for he sacrifice his life to help the poor and through the virtue of charity conquered most of his oppositions and those of the poor around him.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, everyday we encounter oppositions that we feel like crushing and eliminating. Help us to learn from Jesus how to deal with opposition patiently for the sake of peace and harmony in our societies. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.