Homily for Friday Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 5th November, 2023. The Memorial of St. Leo the Great

Readings: Romans 15:41-21; Ps.98; Luke 16: 1-8

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

LEARN TO SMARTLY USE THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD TO WIN YOUR SALVATION

 

The elements of good and bad seem inherent in the human person, little wonder the world involves both good and bad mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our world today. But even in the midst of all these ugly situations, we are expected to be wise and smart in our deals with the things of this passing world.

 

Little wonder, in the Gospel passage today, Jesus tells us the parable of this dishonest steward who, having acted unjustly and having been exposed by his master, went to great lengths to make friends of his master’s debtors in order to secure his future. In this parable, Jesus is not telling us to be dishonest, but he wants us to know that we can learn even from this dishonest servant how to prudently use the things of this passing world to gain our salvation. Thus, Jesus points out that we too should be smart but not exactly like the dishonest steward, using dishonest wealth to exploit others as most rich people do today. No, instead we his disciples are to use our wealth to win souls for the kingdom and safeguard our own souls.

 

But more importantly, if we understand the principle that says that everything we own is a gift from God, then we will realize that God is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use the Master’s resources to further the Master’s work and not the contrary. In this context, we are told to be generous with our resources and use them for the safety of our souls and the growth of God’s kingdom. Little wonder St. Paul in our second reading says: my brothers, I am quite certain that you are full of good intentions, perfectly well instructed and able to advise each other.

 

Dear friends, today, we are called to examine our conscience to know where we are with regard to our vocation as Christians. How can we best harness the things entrusted to us so that they can be the source and midst of safeguarding our souls surrounded by sin, corruption and greediness? We are called today to be wise and smart, for if worldly-minded people can be smart in their dealings, we too should be smarter in our struggles for the salvation of humanity.

 

We should utilize the resources available to us and use them to secure our salvation, just like Pope St. Leo the Great whose memorial we celebrate today. For he showed us what it means to be a true and dedicated disciple of the Lord. As the Pope, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the well-being of his flock. He led the Church and the faithful through the most difficult moment, and was instrumental in strengthening the Church against the various heresies of his time, telling all Christians to recognize our dignity and remain faithful and commitment to the mission entrusted to them by Christ Jesus.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in our struggles with the ugly situation in our societies today, through the intercession of St. Leo the Great us the grace and skills to manage the resources entrusted to us and use them properly for the salvation of humanity, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s Friday, wishing you a fruitful day.