Homily- Friday of the 17th
Week of Ord. Time Year B/ Memorial St. Ignatius of Loyola, Fr. Udoekpo
v Jeremiah
26:1-9
v Ps
69:5,8-10,14
v Matt
13:54-58
v
Services for the Greater Glory of God
On this memorial day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and in
the light of today’s readings, we celebrate the call to services for the greater
glory of God.
Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (the
Jesuits) dedicated a greater part of his life in the service of the Church for
the greater glory of God and in total obedience to the Pope. He began life in
Loyola, Spain where he was born (1491-1556). He fought in the military where he
sustained an injury. While receiving healing treatment from the injury he read
a book, on the lives of the saints that led him to conversion. Which reminds us
of St. Paul in Acts of the Apostles chapter 9, and even other Israel’s prophets
like Jeremiah of today’s first reading. All acted in the name God, for the
greater glory of God!
With this book Ignatius not only devoted his life Christ,
he studied for the priesthood in Barcelona, Salamanca, Alcala and Paris. We are
grateful to him.
One thing that I
will not forget as well is my leading a pilgrimage to Salamanca, Loyola and
Paris in 2014. In Salamanca we visited the Cathedral and the ancient University
as well as walked around the Castle. In
Loyola, before driving up to France, we celebrated Mass in the chapel where Ignatius, stayed and encountered Christ
and received his calling in a unique way!
The seed sown by Ignatius calling has grown in many ways
all over the world- in the gifts of Pope Francis, a Jesuit pope, schools,
colleges, and universities own and run by the Society of Jesus where many of us
and our children have been educated. Some of us also have benefited from the
popular and very effective Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, to name but a few! A Jesuit, Fr. Frank Gingac taught me
Intermediate and Advanced Biblical Greek at the Catholic University of America,
Washington D.C.
Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, like Jeremiah dedicated his life to the
service of the Lord and the people, in spite of the usual challenges and
difficulties, such as doubt, rejections, pains, sufferings, that every time and age has. That Ignatius was
initially wounded in the war did not stop him from availing himself to Christ’s
calling. That Jeremiah, was rejected, punished, scolded, persecuted by his
people did not deter him from his mission.
So also was Christ
himself as we heard in today’s Gospel Matthew 13:54-58. In the synagogue of his
native place, where he preached, his people doubted him. They took him for
granted because he was not only young, but because they knew his parents and
relatives.
How often do we not take others for granted, belittle them,
or distrust them because of unnecessary biases and prejudices? No wonder Christ reminded them, that “a
prophet is not without honor except in his native place.”
Jeremiah, Christ and Ignatius challenge us today to re-examine
often we do use our talents, and gifts for the service of humanity and for the
greater glory of God, be it in schools, universities, colleges, parishes, diocese,
field works, offices, homes, and
families, or wherever we find ourselves, placed by God and life’s journeys!
Reflection Questions
1.
How many of us have appreciatively
benefited from the Jesuits, ministries, education, administration, leadership,
preaching or spiritual exercises?
2.
What prevents us from
serving others for the greater glory of God?
3.
In what other ways can
re relate to today’s bible readings and of the lives of Christ, Jeremiah and
Ignatius of Loyola?
