HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II. 25.06.2020.

Readings: 2 Kings 24: 8-17; Psalm 79 and Mathew 7:21-29.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO LISTEN TO HIS WORDS; WE NEED TO ACT ON THEM.

 

If we observe keenly, for weeks we have been listening to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and today the Gospel present final section of His great Sermon. In this final section, Christ gave two claims of Lordship, the false lordship and the true Lordship.

 

We hear Christ saying in the Gospel, “Not everyone who call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is heaven.” He is saying to us that is not enough to say “Lord, Lord,” for we must also do the will of the Father in heaven. This warning of Christ applies to people who speak or say things to Christ or about Christ, but do not really mean it; they simply say the words very superficially. Their mind is elsewhere, but they believe there is value in the bare words and fulfilling some kind of religious duty with no heart, no soul, not spirit, only bare words and passing thoughts. They go to Church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might. They are those that speak like angels, live like devils; that have Jacob’s smooth tongue, but Esau’s rough hands. Such person could be that ‘holy’ priest or pastor, who have prophesied, cast out demons and have worked many wonders. Such person could be that religious brother or sister you know, it could be that active brother in the charismatic movement, that sister with angelic voice in choir, it could be the lector that proclaims God’s words or even the alter server and it could be you. Whoever it is, it is characterized as a wishy-washy Christian, put differently, an ineffective or weak Christian. If you fall into this category, Christ calls you to reflect on this, it is not enough to listen to His words; it is not enough to read this homily; we need to act on them.

 

We must act in harmony with what we say and what we hear. The words we hear from Christ in His Sermon on the Mount and our actions must be in harmony. If this is so, Christ liken it to be a wise man who built his house upon a rock. He gave an illustration of the two builders; each house looked the same from the outside. The real foundation of our life is usually hidden, and is only proven in the storm, and we could say that the storms come from both heaven (rain) and earth (floods) just as some of us are experiencing this season. Beautiful estates and cities are being exposed by rain and flood for us to see the poor engineering work in it. This storm goes beyond the literal meaning of it, the storm could be the challenges and difficulties we are experiencing, and if we are not deeply rooted in Christ, it can wipe us out of the surface of the earth. Remember, the storm (rain, flood and wind) was the ultimate in power to generations that did not have nuclear weapons. Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, just as corona virus has shaken the lives of many.

 

At the conclusion of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Mathew recorded that, “He taught them as one who had authority and not like the scribes.” Christ taught with an authority lacking in the other teachers in His day, who often only quoted other rabbis. They had never heard such doctrine before; the precepts, which he had given, were quite new to their thoughts. But their main astonishment was at his manner: there was a certainty, a power, a weight about it, such as they had never seen. Dear friends in Christ, whenever God’s Word is presented as it truly is, with its inherent power, it will astonish people and set itself apart from the mere opinions of man. It is my prayer for that God’s Words penetrates our hearts and move us to action through Christ our Lord. Amen! Peace be with you!

 

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ