Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
LEARN
TO LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE MESSAGE OF GOD'S KINGDOM
For
many days now we have been listening to Jesus telling us about the kingdom of
God and the need for us to prepare to embrace it. In most of the occasions
Jesus used parables to communicate the important of this message. Having
listened to him carefully, his disciples in our Gospel passage today asked him
to explain the parable of the wheat and the darnel and he said:
“The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the
darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the
harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as
the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of
time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his
kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them
into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Listen, anyone who has ears!”
What
is most important in this message is for us to “Listen carefully”. This is
because the world as we know is coming to an end, for the day of reckoning is
very close at hand. This could be the first trumpet might as well be the last.
For it is obvious from the signs we are seeing around us today. How can we
interpret the signs of this times, the signs that tell us that this world is
passing away.
Many
are suffering and many more will have to suffer from greediness of others. Many
have died and may more will have to die. Many are perishing in sin, many more
will have to perish if we refuse to repent from sin and greediness. Little
wonder we heard Moses in our first reading while praying for the people of
Israel who have failed to listen to God said: ‘If I have indeed won your
favour, Lord,’ I beg. True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our
faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.
This
is what we see in the life of St. Alphonsus Liguori, whose memorial we
celebrate today. He was the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy
Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. He was truly a holy man and a role
model that we can emulate in our own lives. St. Alphonsus Liguori was
remembered for his great piety and dedication to serve the people of God just
like Moses. He was known for his simple and yet effective homilies, his
courageous and loving outreach to those under his care and in touch with the
plight and troubles of the people in his community.
Dear
friends, we are called to learn how to listen to God and pay attention to the
signs is giving us. But do these signs make us to be afraid of the second
coming of the Lord or do we joyfully awaits its coming? Because the explanation
of this parable gives us an account of what will happen on the day of
reckoning. And today, we are called to really examine our conscience to know
where we are with regards to our vocation as Christians.
What
will be our lot if the Lord calls us today? Will we be among the virtuous who will
shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father? Or among those that will be
thrown out of his kingdom and sent into the blazing furnace, where there will
be weeping and grinding of teeth?
The
answer to this question is available in our consciences and if we listen
carefully now we will hear, for things are not the way they used to be, we all
have to face the reality now. Everyday is a golden opportunity, today may be
the only opportunity for us to change our sinful ways of life and embrace God
completely.
LET US
PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we listen
carefully to your word, let the groans of your children come before you. And
through the intercession of St. Alponsus, help us to embrace your word and be
prepared to embrace your kingdom on the day of reckoning, we ask this through
Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Month and God bless you.
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