HOMILY FOR SATURDAY WEEK 29 IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE YOU

 22 OCTOBER 2022 SATURDAY OF WEEK 29 IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II OR SAINT JOHN PAUL II, POPE OR SATURDAY MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 

Ephesians 4: 7-16;      Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6;      Luke 13: 1-9 

LIVING BY THE TRUTH OF CHRIST AND IN LOVE OF CHRIST  

I pray for you: May the Lord Jesus continue to empower you to do the ministry to which He has called you, all for the edification of His Body, the Church. AMEN

It takes a lot of different events for growth to take place. Sometimes it just seems to happen, but if the right circumstances are not available, growth is not as full as it could be. This is very true for the spread of the faith and the building up of the Body of Christ, the Church.  Hear it now! The Church is not fully the Church if you are missing. According to the plan of God, we all play a role in making the Church what God calls it to be.​​​​

Each one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. What are you doing with the grace God gives you? What are you doing with the spiritual gifts you have been given? And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. Are you building up the body of Christ with the grace you have received or are you scattering the body of Christ? Building the body of Christ with the grace you have received will help us all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. By this, we shall be living by the truth and in love. When we do so, we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play; and their cleverness in practising deceit. If we live by the truth of Christ Jesus and in the love of Christ, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.

Growth is a sign that things are moving along. Paul speaks about the growth of the church, the Body of Christ, the edifice of God. Paul returns to two of his favorite analogies for the church: (1) a body with many parts working together for the growth and good of the whole body, and (2) an edifice which comes about from the putting together of the many diverse materials. In both images, Jesus is the center and key element. This is because Jesus came down (descended) from heaven in order to make it possible for those who followed Him to be united with Him in heaven, where He ascended and to where those who are united with Him will ascend.

The psalm is a hymn of joy by pilgrims on their way to the city of God, Jerusalem. As pilgrims make their trek to Jerusalem to be in the Holy City for holy days, they speak about their excitement at being able to be heading to the city of God. This is something to which the pilgrims look forward to. They joyfully anticipate their being in the presence of God in the Holy City and especially in the Temple.

In the Gospel, Jesus also speaks about growth, or actually, the lack of growth. Jesus shares a parable about a fig tree which has produced no useable fruit. Even though the caretaker of the fruit trees and vines had done whatever necessary to provide the best environment for the fruit tree, it was still not producing the yield that was expected. The owner of the fig tree does not want to waste anymore time on the tree because it is just using up the soil. The caretaker asked for a little more time. The caretaker promises to try once more to do whatever was necessary to help the tree produce the proper crop of fruit.

Dear Sisters and Brothers, Jesus is the caretaker who asks the owner (God the father), to allow Him to do whatever is necessary for the tree, that is, the people to yield good fruit. Jesus is truly the head of the body or the edifice known as the church. Jesus has given His all in order to build up and make productive the different members of the church. Yet, when Jesus ascended back to His rightful place in heaven, He commissioned His disciples to continue His work. Thus, all who have accepted the Good News of Jesus and have become His disciples are called to do whatever they can to enrich the environment in which growth can take place. Each believer is given certain abilities and talents which are to be used in the edification of the whole. Part of our responsability is to recognize our skills and gifts and use them for the good of the whole church.  

The first wave of those who take their response-ability seriously are the apostles, prophets, and evangelists. The apostles (not just the Twelve but all those who are missionaries) are the people sent on a mission to new places to announce the Good News. The apostles or missionaries must be willing to move on from one location to another in order that the message can be proclaimed to as many as possible, by their works and words. Others in the first wave are the prophets who speak the Word of God. They are given special task of stepping out in faith and risk persecution while they proclaim the word of God. The evangelists (Good News people) are to announce the Gospel, the Good News. They announce the Tidings of the love of God. After the first wave of disciples have hit the beach and started the assault on the camps of the enemies (those entrenched in worldly and evil pursuits), the forces of the second wave arrive. These are the pastors and teachers. Their role is to shepherd and instruct those who have been given the Truth. They are the ones who foster the growth of the seeds of truth which were planted by the apostles, prophets, and evangelists. It takes the team work of all the different members of the Growth Team in order for the plants to produce the abundant and proper fruit. The question every person must ask himself or herself is: where do I fit in the process? Notice I did not say, Do I fit in the process? but rather where do I fit in the process? All of us have a role. Our roles may change from time to time. But all of us are part of the team. Maybe the reason the fig tree in the Gospel did not produce the expected fruit was because one part of the process had not been effective, or as fully effective as possible. Some of us may have to be apostles, evangelists, or prophets at our work place as we act out the Good News in our actions. Others of us may have the roles of teachers or pastors as we care for those entrusted to us in our families, Schools, churches, working places and communities.

Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, it is true that we all have a part to play; yet, it is also true that the real growth is the result of the hands of God at work. What is exciting, and challenging, for me at least, is that God wants us to be part of the process, and our participation does make a difference. We must do our part as if everything depended on us; but we must pray and trust as if everything depends on God. 

Thus, Paul summarizes all of this in the words we read today, Living the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, in the person of Jesus Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

MEDITATION What part am I taking in the growth of church, the people of God?  How can I be more effective in living out my role?  Do I always seek to speak and live the Truth; and do I do it in a loving, caring manner?   Who might most benefit from my service/ministry today/this weekend/next week?

PRAYER Today, we come before You oh Lord as caretakers in Your fields. You have gifted us with different abilities which we can use for fostering the growth among others. Under the leadership and headship of Jesus, You entrust us with care of a part of the growth process. Our actions can have an effect on the process of producing a rich harvest. May we work together with one another, under the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, and the lead of Jesus, our Head, so that a fullness may be achieved for Your glory and honor. Through the same Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.  

O DIVINE WORD, WHO TOOK FLESH FOR HUMAN SAKE, REDEEM US IN OUR SITUATION

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus