Homily For The 23rd Sunday In The Ordinary Time Year B, September 9, 2024
“It is not from your possessions that you are bestowing alms on the poor, you are but restoring to them what is theirs by right. For what was given to everyone for the use of all, you have taken for your exclusive use. The earth belongs not to the rich, but everyone. Thus, far from giving lavishly, you are but paying part of your debt.” –St Ambrose.
Sunday Readings
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
Peace be with you. May your ears be open to hearing the word of God, your tongue untied to proclaim His wonderful deeds and your eyes open to behold the radiance and beauty of God’s creation in the poor, the differently-abled, and those in need.
The ideology of ‘preferential treatment’ to those who are dear to us or those who are related to us is what is destroying social justice in the world of today and breeding all forms of injustice. A lady once told me how her brother, a regional director of a bank in Nigeria, reserved work for her at one of the branches of the bank in the region while she was still in her third year in the university studying linguistics. I can’t imagine how a vacancy at the bank was reserved for a student of linguistics in her third year when many graduates of accounting and banking/finance are roaming the streets with their files, searching for jobs. This is exactly the situation today. Many are not getting jobs because ‘vacancies’ are already ‘reserved’ for special people, family, and friends. Furthermore, preferential treatment to the wealthy and influential which we experience daily in the church and social gatherings deepens the gap between the poor and the rich. Have you thought about the concept of ‘VIPs’ ? I am not very comfortable with this VERY IMPORTANT PERSON (VIP) nomenclature because this is a linguistic instrument of societal injustice, discrimination, segregation, and exploitation of the poor and less influential. This labeling must be dropped from our vocabulary and prudence maintained in the way we treat people at gatherings. But let me ask, who is not a very important person? Certainly everyone is you and I, the rich and the poor alike. We must shun any form of discrimination and preferential treatment against any human being. This is what James remarked in the second reading when he says, “Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?”
Today Jesus tells us those who deserve our preferential treatment are the poor, the differently-abled and the less privileged. The first reading (Is 35:4-7), reminds us that God’s eyes are constantly focused on the helpless. God especially cares for the “…frightened, the blind, the deaf, the lame, and He encourages the powerless to be strong and fearless”. One thing I admire about America is their concern for the differently-abled people, integrating them fully into the society by considering their welfare, and benefits, especially in infrastructures. As an example, every public building has a disabled parking space, and a special disabled entrance door usually automated. To enforce compliance fines usually accompany violations of the differently-abled people’s reserved places, as in parking lots. We can show more love to the differently-abled in society by considering their welfare in our infrastructural, political, and economic policies.
The preferential option for the poor has been at the core of the Church’s missionary agenda. We are not equally privileged and being poor does not imply only material poverty, because you may be rich but spiritually wretched. Because of our spiritual poverty and blindness, Jesus came to enrich our souls and show us the light by which to live. All the miracles of Christ are simply avenues of showing how much love God has for us and to draw us closer to Him. “Why are some people poor while others are rich? Why are some people sick while others are healthy? And why are some more successful than others? These inequalities exist to create a balance in life and nature. Without them, life would be monotonous. Inequalities also serve as a manifestation of God’s intervention in our lives. Just as all seasons cannot be rainy or winter, these differences create a balance. Some are wealthy to help those in need, while others experience poverty as a test of their faith and a reminder of the importance of generosity. Ultimately, these inequalities exist to bring balance to our lives and to foster generosity and understanding.”. Some are healthy today to help those who are sick. We all cannot be sick and healthy at the same time. Our mission is a helping and a supporting mission. “It is not from the possessions that you are bestowing alms on the poor, you are but restoring to them what is theirs by right. For what was given to everyone for the use of all, you have taken for your exclusive use. The earth belongs not to the rich, but to everyone. Thus, far from giving lavishly, you are but paying part of our debt“ St Ambrose.
Jesus fulfilled His missionary manifesto (cf. Lk 4:18) and the messianic prophecy of Isaiah by healing a deaf man with a speech impediment. In the first reading, Isaiah says, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” ( cf. Isaiah 35:5-6) The ailments listed by Isaiah are symbolic of our interior illnesses: blindness to the needs of our neighbor, unwillingness to hear God’s voice, and the inability to speak words of praise and gratitude. Through this miracle story, Mark also reminds us that no one can be a follower of the Lord without reaching out to the helpless (preferential option for the poor).
Let us change our negative perception of life and work to add value to it by caring for and supporting those who truly need our love. Let us be more human before we struggle to be saints. Remember “I am because you are.” We live for each other. Without you, there is no me and without me, there is no you. No man or woman lives for themself. We live for each other, we live for others. Let us become instruments of healing and caring for others in the hands of God.
May God strengthen your resolve to show preference to the poor. May your ears be open to hearing the word of God and your tongues untied to praise and glorify Him in your life.
Partiality is wrong because it usurps God’s sovereignty, it aligns you with God’s enemies, and it violates God’s law of love.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
