Homily- Tuesday of the 16th
Week of Ord. Time Yr. B- Fr. Udoekpo, M
v Micah
7:14-15, 18-20
v Ps
85:2-4,5-6,7-8
v Matt
12:46-50
Who is Like God (Micah)?
Again, today, our first reading is from the Prophecy of
Micah, one of the 12 Minor Prophets (Dodekapropheton). It is in this
very pericope Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 that we truly see the meaning of the Hebrew
name Micah (who is like jah, like God- el, Michael, Michelle, Michai),
which we have been commenting on, piecemeal throughout this week, or so, spread
out and defined:
“Who is God like you,
pardoning iniquity, and passing over transgression for the remnant of his
inheritance? He does not retain any anger forever because he delights in a
steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us, he will tread our iniquity
under foot. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show
faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham. As you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old (vv 18-20).”
Clearly, the prophet Micah reechoes these texts: Exod 34:6-7; Pss
85:1-2; 103:8-12; Neh 9:17; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Isaiah 38:17. He is familiar
with Exodus 34:6-7, the true nature of God. He is familiar with all that God
has done for us, Israel, in the past- walking freeing them from the clutches of
the Egyptian Pharaohs, walking them through the deserts, crossing the red seas,
providing food and manna for the in the deserts, directing Moses to strike and bring
out drinking water for them from the hard rock. You name them—all that he has
done for our forefathers and mothers- Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,
Ruth and Mary!
For
Micah, none is like him, because he does not judge us as we would deserved. He ignores
them, gives us room with compassion to repent and return to him. This is who we
celebrate today. He is the one the Psalmist has sang his praises in that Psalm
85. He is the one reference in the story of the sign of Jonah of yesterdays’
Gospel.
In
today’s Gospel, Matthew 12:46-50, once again, he embraces all of us with love
and compassion. He does not discriminates. He sees all of us as his brothers
and sisters, siblings and family members. We are told stretching out his saving
hands to his disciples and to all of us, he says, “Here are my mother and my
brothers. For “whoever does the will my heavenly Father is my brother, and
sisters, and mother.”
That
is the church, called to be a compassionate family, be it in Africa or
elsewhere. In Africa, this model of the church as a family fits us so well,
since we are already so familiar with the practice of ubuntu and
communal living (I am only because you are).
In
other, words, in this ubuntu language of Jesus, he is reminding us not
only of the nature of God in Prophet Micah and other texts mentioned above, but
that we ought to be generous to one another (utu), but that two or more people make
a community. We are only, because others, are. It takes a village to raise a
child. One single stick of broom cannot sweep. One finger cannot bring out lice
from our hair and that a tree cannot make a forest.
In
sum, today’s scripture challenges us to review our inordinate subjectivism, boundary
and barrier creation, racism, division, segregation-ism, tribalism, ethnocentrism,
etc., and how best we have endeavored to imitate Christ in his love,
compassionate, forgiveness, sense of common good, like the early Apostles in
Acts of the Apostles, and generosity!
Reflection Questions
1.
How often do we practice ubuntu (I
aim because you are) in our communities?
2.
How often do we imitate the nature of God
expressed in Micah today?
3.
In what ways have we failed in the past
to see God in our neighbors or to treat one another as our brother, sister,
mother and father?
