Homily For Tuesday, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 26th August, 2025

Readings: 1Thes 2:1-8; Ps.139; Matt.23:23-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE DANGER OF BEING A BLIND AND HYPOCRITICAL LEADER

God created humanity to be managers of all that He created. To carry out this responsibility, He gave us the mantle of leadership as one of the characteristics of the human person, that which makes us unique from every other creature. Thus leadership is a gift from God by which we serve Him and our neighbour responsibly in this world.

But this great gift has often been abused by humanity because of greed, love of power, fame and selfishness. This was the attitude of most of the Scribes and the Pharisees in the Gospel today. For they had the responsibility to lead the people to the Kingdom of heaven, but they neither entered nor allowed those who wanted to enter to go in.

Hence, Jesus called them hypocrites, blind guides because they misuse the gift of leadership entrusted to them. Many of them multiply the laws to suit their agenda by enforcing a very strict interpretation and application of the law to the smallest details while neglecting the true purpose and meaning of the law. They only focus on the letter while neglecting the spirit of the Law, thereby making the law a mere formality that gives room for people to take God’s law for granted.

And such attitudes towards the Law are meaningless if not accompanied properly with the desire and understanding from the heart and soul that truly love God. Thus, he called us to embrace love, justice, mercy, and good faith as good qualities of a leader.

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading today says: It was our God who gave us the courage to proclaim his Good News to you in the face of great opposition. We have not taken to preaching because we are deluded, immoral, or trying to deceive anyone; it was God who decided that we were fit to be entrusted with the Good News, and when we are speaking, we are not trying to please men but God, who can read our inmost thoughts

Dear friends, What type of a leader are you? Are you a blind and hypocritical leader or a committed and responsible leader? This is important because the major problems in our societies are caused by bad leadership. So today we are called not to be hypocrites or blind guides but good leaders who are committed and responsible with whatever we are entrusted with.

As leaders we are called to serve God and humanity in any capacity we find ourselves. Remember, the first person to lead is your very self from which we can extend it to others in our families, societies and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you have given to all humanity the grace of leadership, but we have often misused it because of greed and selfishness. As we embrace the gift of leadership today, may we never be tired of doing what is good. And as we struggle it out the remaining days of this month and the rest of the year, may You be the sole fount of true wisdom and knowledge guide all our decisions in life, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.