Homily For Thursday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th January 2025

Readings: Heb. 10: 19-25, Ps.24, Mark 4:21-25

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO LISTEN WITH YOUR EARS

The ears which consist of the pinna are organs of hearing. It is a gift from God through which we have the faculty of being able to perceive sounds and recognize something in an auditory way. To exercise the faculty of this organ effectively we must learn to use it to listen attentively to information. The world, no doubt, is full of noise, echoing different things in our minds through our ears.

But what are we feeding our ears with? How are we using these organs? How has this organ helped us in our spiritual life amid this noisy world? How have we managed the noise in our lives, in families and in society which distracts us from listening to God? What are the things we hear or listen to? The Word of God we hear every day. How has it developed our relationship with God and our neighbour?

Therefore, when Jesus said in our Gospel reading today, “he who has ears let him hear”, he is referring to our ability to listen to God's Word and act on it even amid this noisy world. Thus, what Jesus means is that the person who seeks to gain some spiritual insight into what he is saying will have that insight increased when they listen.

Whereas whoever does not listen to him will end up in spiritual ignorance. To avoid this, we are reminded in our first reading that through the blood of Jesus, we have the right to enter the sanctuary in a new way that he has opened for us, which stirs a response in love and good works when we listen to Jesus.

Dear friends, by listening, hearing and following Jesus, we grow in familiarity with his voice and hear him more. And by so doing we make Jesus the light of our lives placed on the lampstand to give light and insight to our souls as individuals, family and society, illuminating all the darkness around us.

 LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our ears are gifts from you; help us to use them properly. And as we carry out our activities today, may our ears hear the consoling words of Jesus guiding and directing us towards the light of his presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.