Homily For Tuesday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 14th February, 2023 The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine’s Day

Homily For Tuesday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 14^th  February, 2023

The Memorial of SS.  Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine’s Day

Readings: Gen. 6:5-8,7:1-5,10 ; Ps. 29; Mark: 8:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHY WE TRULY NEED THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING

 

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is understand, which is the ability to perceive an idea or situation mentally, to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of things. Hence, understanding is seen as a gift of God and it is to be prayed and desired by all. Understanding has a moral character which one has to sought and learn. Understanding, then, involves the cognitive, the spiritual, and the moral. While human efforts are required, the ability to understand comes from God and the true test of understanding is obedience to God.

 

For this is what humanity in our first reading  were lacking, they failed to obey what God had instructed them, because they lack understanding of God and his ways as they continued to sin against God. Thus, when the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was so great on the earth, and that the thoughts in his heart fashioned nothing but wickedness all day long. He regretted having made man on the earth, and his heart grieved. Hence, he planned to get rid of mankind, though Noah found favour in God’s sight and he promised to preserve humanity and other creations through him.

 

In a similar way, Jesus in our Gospel passage today was disappointed at his disciples’ inability to grasp what he was saying to them or who he really is. They failed to understand what he is capable of doing in their midst. Hence he asked them over nine questions which they failed to understand. We can imagine them asking what is it that we do not yet understand?

 

But they had been witnesses to two extraordinary events done by Jesus: the feeding of five thousand people with five loaves and four thousand with seven Loaves. Yet they do not seem to have grasped the implication of the miracle they had witnessed nor the divine identity of Jesus who had made it possible.

Thus, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you not yet understand? Have you no perception? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear? Or do you not remember?” This question, reveals that the disciples are really in need of the gift of understanding, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that is given to us to make sense of what is happening around us all the time.

 

Dear friends, the fact remains that we all need the gift of understanding just like the disciples in our Gospel today. For often times, we are confused about so many things going on in our lives even concerning our faith. Therefore, let us ask the Holy Spirit for an increase in the gift of understanding.

 

And today all over the world people are celebrating especially young people, we are celebrating what they called the valentine’s day. A day we celebrate love. But today we are celebrating not just love, but the power and victory of love over human selfishness. Thus, Valentine celebration reminds us of the gift of God’s love to humanity. For God loves unconditionally and sacrificially, he loves us till the very end.

 

So, we have to also love one another the way God loves us. We must know that Valentine day is not a carnal celebration of love. But more of sacrificial and spiritual celebration. That is why as Christians we do not celebrate Valentine in a carnal or selfish manner or the sinful way the world celebrates it in the name of boyfriend and girlfriend, committing immorality, fornication and adultery in the name of love, which of course is not love, but lust.

 

Therefore, Valentine’s day for us should be a day we protect and promote true love for one another. It is a day we remember how much we care for one another and what we are to one another. It is a day  we  build up and nurture long-lasting love, friendships and good relationships with one another. Let us learn to embrace true love for that is the only way we can conquer the ugly attitude of pride in us. Let us learn from SS. Cyril and Methodius and also St. Valentine whose memorials we celebrate today. For they are good example of what it means to embrace love in a sacrificial way.

LET US PRAY:  Lord God, you are the source of all understanding, help us to understand your word today calling us to embrace love in a sacrificial way, give us through the intercessions of SS. Cyril, Methodius and valentine the grace to truly love in order to understand and follow the examples of our Lord and Saviour who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE LOVE YOU HAVE SHOWN ME AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.