Homily For Wednesday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 31st January, 2024. The Memorial of St. John Bosco

Readings: 2 Sam 24:2.8-17; Ps. 32, Mark 6:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR HUMBLED BACKGROUND

 

In life, people are quick to neglect and look down on others, who they believe cannot offer them anything good at the moment. They are quick to forget that everyone, no matter the present condition is a potential instrument for God's blessings. This is the ugly attitude of the people of Nazareth in our Gospel passage today.

 

When Jesus came to his home town he taught the people in the synagogue in such a way that they were astonished, but instead of embracing the message of Jesus, they treated him with contempt and in their pride they said: ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers and sisters here with us? Where did he get all these?’ And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith and he marvelled because of their unbelief.

 

Thus, out of pride and contempt, the people rejected the blessings God had for them. And like the prophets of old, Jesus was not accepted by the very people to whom he had been sent. Because the people showed only little faith, he was only able to cure a few of the sick. But he went on to teach in other villages, while there were few great works done in his hometown. So, if he is not allowed to do good where he would, he must do it some other place.

 

Therefore, he had to move on, he did not insist on convincing those whose minds were closed. Consequently, they miss out on the blessings he is offering them.  So in their pride, they treated him with contempt. Today this kind of ugly attitude is what stops people from doing good because they don’t want to be treated with contempt and as a result, a lot of people have been deprived of their blessings out of human pride and contempt.

 

This is what we see in our first reading where David out of pride carried out a census of the people. Realizing how wrong he was and the consequences on the people said “Lord, ‘It was I who sinned; ‘I who did this wicked thing. But these, this flock, what have they done? Let your hand lie heavy on me then and on my family.’

 

Dear friends, do not treat anyone with contempt, for everyone is a potential instrument of God’s blessings and favour. And if we want to make a difference in life, we should be ready to ignore what people are saying about us now, we have to forget our past failures and our humble beginning. People may not appreciate us now, they may even say all kinds of things about us, just to humiliate and discourage us.

 

Therefore, we should put all our obstacles behind us and work hard for our dreams, give our time to them, sacrifice our sleep and comfort, sweat for them, plan for them, overcome all our terrors of opposition, enduring pains and obstacles, with the help of God we will succeed and become a source of God's blessings. Then we will sing joyfully to God our strength and all the people will gather about us in praise of our God. And they will say: Is not this the Carpenter's sons or daughters? Where then did they get all these? Yes, that's who we are, for Jesus is the Carpenter of our success and salvation.

 

So, let us then learn from St. John Bosco whose memorial we celebrate today for despite the challenges and oppositions he faced in life, he remained committed to his work as a priest and made great impacts in the lives of the youths of his time and even in our time for through many people who sharing in his spirituality, he founded the Order of the Salesians of Don Bosco, one of the great religious orders in our society today.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, oftentimes in our pride we treat people with contempt because of their humble background, through the intercession of St. John Bosco, give us the grace to realize that everyone is a potential instrument of your blessings and favour to humanity, and as we struggle towards our goals, may you crown all our efforts and sacrifices with success. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.