Homily
(2) 21st Sunday of Year A: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings:
Isaiah 22:19-23; Ps 138:1-3, 6, 8; Rom 11:33-36 and Matthew 16:13-20
Many of us do not like
to be surprised, except with anniversary gifts! But our God is a God of
surprises. To be surprised implies that we have surrendered at least some of
our autonomy. It means events, wonders and amazements have taken place in which
we have little or no control, but only to trust in God. Many of such events
abound in our lives. In those moments, God is at work. He creates and recreates.
He admonishes sinners and welcomes the repentant. He can make king and has the
power too to bring kings down. He promotes and demotes. He changes sufferings into joy, failures into
success, illness into good health, and death into life. This is true when we
take a closer look into today’s Bible lessons, including Psalms 138.
First of all, in the first reading (Isa
22:19-23), there is a contrast drawn between two court officials during the
time of Hezekiah known as Sheba and Eliakim. Shabna was irresponsible,
faithless, abusive, unstable, pompous and selfish (Isa 22:1-18) hence demoted
and disgraced out of office (v 19). God surprisingly replaces him with Eliakim,
whom he call his servant (v 20). Eliakim is a father to the people (v 21),
dependable and solid like a peg. What a surprise
from Shebna to Eliakim!
During prayers we are challenged
to believe in a God of surprises, who surprises us through others and through
daily events and circumstances. Some of them may initially look ugly. But don’t
lose the mystery of hope. Saint Paul reechoes this surprising nature of God in
the second reading (Rom 11:33-36) when he says: “Oh, the depth of the riches
and wisdom, and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable
his ways.”
Similar elements of divine surprises occur in
Matthew’s Gospel today. Who would have thought that the same would- be “Denying
Peter,” during the Passion Week would surprisingly get the answer put by
Christ, “who do people think that I am.” Surprisingly, ahead of other disciples,
Peter got it. He professed Christ as the Son of the living God (matt 16:6). As a
result and like Eliakim who was given the symbols of power, the keys of the
house of David in the first reading (Isa 22:23), Peter is divinely entrusted
with the keys of responsibilities: to lead, love, forgive and preach faith and
hope. He is pastorally blessed and confirmed as the rock upon which Christ’s Church
shall be built (vv.18-19).
Rocks, repeated
metaphors in today's readings in rural African families are used for
multiple purposes. They are used to crack or produce kernels (from
palms) sold for economic livelihood of many families. Globally,
they are used in most cultures for homes, offices’, road or bridge constructions
to support and sustain nations and society. Of course, in another sense, bridges
of unity, forgiveness, reconciliation, ecumenism, inter- religious or cultural
dialogue and peace much needed today.
I know when we
experience wars, threats of terrorism, tragedies, civil unrest and other forms
of disorientation, we often succumb to the fallacy that God is not really
interested in our affairs and concerns. We may feel that we are not persons,
only numbers in a gigantic universe. Like Peter and his successors including
Pope Francis, in particular, we are encouraged to trust in God. We are invited to
be our neighbor’s rock of hope and support. We are called to be the rock and
the pillars for our neighboring poor, the immigrants, the rejected, the
homeless, the voiceless, the sick, the needy and the suffering of our generations.
Finally, Psalm 138, reminds
us to be praiseful and thankful to our God who surprises us always with his
love and protection. He loves us constantly and eternally, even in the midst of
our earthly predicaments. And he invites us to do the same to one another, and
to pray, rejoice, and marvel at his manifold gifts and blessings of surprises!
