Homily- Wednesday of the 25th Week of Ord.
Time Yr, B. Fr. Udoekpo, Michael
v Prov 30:5-9
v Ps 119:29, 72, 89,101,104,163
v Luke 9:1-6
“God’s Word (Verbum Domini): A Shield (māgēn)
to Those Who Take Refuge in Him” (Prv. 30:5)
As I indicated
yesterday, Proverbs, today’s first reading, is one of those wisdom literature.
Its purpose is always to instruct, advise, and offer insights whereby one might
learn to cope with life’s vicissitude (1-2). Proverbs’ teachings draw from
tradition of the elders and life experiences. Experiences of the elders and of
our parents count, in life. We must not ignore them, as today’s youths, tend to
do.
Proverbs stresses honesty,
diligence, trustworthiness, self-restrain and appropriate attitude towards,
wealth and poverty, and more importantly “the fear of the Lord” (yarea
adonay), which means so much: (listening to God’s word, verbum domini,
putting them into practice, obeying him, loving God and neighbor as oneself,
respecting the dignity of the human persons, and other creature, as stressed in
the Laudato si’ of Pope Francis, and in other church’s documents,
including Dei Verbum, Verbum Domini, Evangelii Gaudium (cf.
Udoekpo, “Introduction” and Prefaces” in Sharing the Word of God), and
many more.
God’s words, “a lamp for our feet” (Ps 119) is described
Proverbs 30:5-9, the first readings, as “shield to those who take refuge in
him.” Significant also in this description is that it comes from Agur son of
Jakeh, a non-Israelite (v. 1), which reminds of Ruth who said to her mother-in-law-
Naomi, “Your God will be my God,”( Ruth 1:16). It
reminds me of a centurion, a Gentile, who said to Jesus in Matthew 8:8 “Lord I
am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but, only say the Word and my
servant will be healed.”
Our human limitations: selfishness, brokenness, ethnocentrism,
division, tribalism, racism, in ordinate anthropocentricism, indifference to
the poor and the needy, lack of compassion, love and presence to one another,
materialism, hoarding things that we do not even need, corruption in political
capitals, violence, terrorism, bokoharimism, laziness, back-biting, lack
of faith and trust in the Lord, falsehood, dishonesty, going by Proverbs
30:2-3, can only be healed and defended like a warrior, by God’s Word ( verbum
domini), a “shield,” an armor, a weapon, a defender, a “ light for our feet and lamp for our paths”
(Ps 119:105; Pro 30:5; 2 Tim 3:16-17).
Again, this word of God, according to Pope Francis in his
“Aperuit Illis,” of 30th September 2019, “unites believers and makes the
one people” (n. 4). In sending out his twelve disciples in today’s Gospel of
Luke 9:1-6 (Matt 10:1-14; Mark 6:6b-13), Jesus handed them not only the mandate
to preach and proclaim this word of God, but to heal sick, but also travel
lightly, no tunic and sack, no food and no money- no attachment to material
things, but freely relying on God’s mercy and love and provision as well
selflessly- discharging God’s word (Christ and God’s incarnate and all his
values, carum factum est), which will always remain a “shield (māgēn)
to those who take refuge in him,” ( Prov 30:5).
Reflection Questions
1.
How often do
we read, listen, preach and live God’s word?
2.
Do we trust
in God’s word as our shield, defender and protector?
3.
What prevents
us from freely and sacrificially sharing Christ and his values with our neighbors,
Jews and Gentles ,like Agur, son of Jakeh, of the first reading?
