Homily For The 20th Sunday In The Ordinary Time. August 18, 2024
“The world calls for and expects from us the simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility…..Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile.” –St. Paul VI
Sunday Readings
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
May the peace and love of Christ be always with you. On this 20th Sunday, we have gathered to worship God and pledge our fidelity to following Him. It is a wise choice to be here this morning because many have lost interest in following God because of the many world forces diverting their attention from God. Let us reassure ourselves today that we cannot do without God. May this faith remain ever-strengthened through our participation in the Eucharist.
Today’s readings especially the gospel emphasize that the Holy Eucharist, the perfect fulfillment of the symbol of the manna in the Old Testament, is the Food that gives us life forever. In Last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus declared that the Bread he gives is his Flesh. This Sunday, Jesus asserts that to eat this Bread is eternal life. This is because our ultimate goal of partaking in the eucharist is union with God. This everlasting union is eternal life. The first and the second readings advise us to live more wisely in these difficult times, and it is only by living in Christ the bread of life that we can live more meaningful lives
We often say people are living their best lives because they are wealthy or living in affluence. However, living the best life I must tell you has nothing to do with wealth and affluence but living in Christ. To live wisely is to realize how empty we are without God. In the Gospel Jesus says. “I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me”. The question that comes to mind is, do I have life because of Christ? Is your life Christ-centred or self-centered? People often find joy, fulfillment, and life in things other than Christ Jesus, but someday they will realize that life without God is empty. To allow something or somebody to take the place of God in your life is to live perpetually in self-deception and defeat. Nothing and I repeat nothing in this life can ever satisfy the interior happiness and emptiness of anyone in this generation. Every other thing we do be it going to casinos, nightclubs, drinking, smoking, dining in expensive restaurants, driving exotic cars, immoral lifestyle and the luxuries of life can only give temporary happiness and satisfaction that will fade away with time and gradually destroy the person in the long run. The psalmist says in Psalm 42:1ff ” Like the deer that thirst for running water, even so, my soul thirst for you oh God”. A soul that does not thirst for God, but finds fulfillment in worldly attractions, will forever remain thirsty for God because He is the living water and the true bread that satisfies our hunger and thirst.
Every human being is blessed with an insatiable longing for God. We want God as our Father to hold us gently in His arms, keeping us safe throughout the dangers we face, but often we use substitutes. as an escape from that need. We demand the right to do whatever we want to do whenever let us remember the truth that unless we keep the hunger for God strong in our hearts, we will eventually realize the emptiness of our lives without Him.
Let us keep Paul’s admonition to Jews and Gentile Christians in the second reading in mind when he says. “Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of opportunity because the days are evil”. It is foolishness to live without God. Certainly, there is a lot of evil in our world, many are drifting away from the faith, the society is polluted with corruption and immorality. This is the opportunity to live as wise children of God, holding on to Christ our faith and being the light and salt of the earth we are called to be. Tomorrow may be too late to make a change. *Life is not all about finding yourself but it is about discovering who God created you to be*. May God’s wisdom guide us to make a difference in our world.
We draw life in Christ and live in him through His words and sacraments. Let us intensify our efforts in approaching God through these life-giving sources of His grace. Let us intensify our prayer for the church and society. Let us pray for each other daily that God may keep us all safe from evil. Meditate on God’s word day and night and never cease to show compassion and be charitable to others.
If you desire eternal life, eat of this bread of life
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
