Homily Tenth Sunday In Ordinary Time Year B; Fr. Michael Udoek
Udoekpo
- Genesis 3:9-15
- Ps 130:1-8
- 2 Corinthians 4:13-51
- Mark 3:20-35
We are Invited Members of God’s Kingdom
We celebrate
on this 10th Sunday of Ordinary Season, the mystery of God’s kingdom
(hē basileia tou theou), the mystery of his sovereignty, the mystery of his works and deeds, peace,
joy, healing and eternal life. As we carry on with this celebration we are
reminded of what all of us must do, as individual and as a church to enter into
this kingdom.
We must
welcome everyone; knowing that our next door neighbor could be that saint; those saints,
Pope Francis spoke about in his Gaudete et Exsultate, whom we are daily
called to imitate. We must build our lives around Jesus’ values. We must reject
Satan, and all his evil deeds. We must trust always in God and rely in the
teachings of the Church handed to us by the Apostles, especially as recorded in
the scriptures.
For example
in today’s scriptures, beginning with that Gospel of Mark, just heard, the
story of Jesus' healing, exorcism, welcoming everyone including his parents, or
Jesus himself being constantly misunderstood by religious leaders, by the power
that be, is Evangelist Mark’s unique way of narrating the Christology of Jesus,
or of reminding us of the mystery of the kingdom of God, that you and I strife every
day to enter.
In Mark the
Kingdom of God is not necessarily a place, but a metaphor of God’s sovereignty,
of God’s rule over creation and history. The entire ministry of Jesus in deeds
and words, is nothing else, but the proclamation of this kingdom.
Look closely
at the deeds and words of Jesus in today’s Gospel of Mark 3:20-35. As he was ministering
and healing the people who had gathered and even made it impossible for them to
eat, his relatives came to seize Jesus away from the crowd, thinking that he
was “out of his mind.” The scribes who saw him healed thought he was doing that
using the power of Beelzebul. Why would they think that Jesus was out of his
mind or using the power of Beelzebul to heal.? A mystery! Humanity is trapped, needing God's help and manifestation of his rule in a decisive and new manner. Again as he was doing this,
his mother and brothers sent words to him from outside that they were waiting
to see him. But, he said, “Who are my brothers and sisters.”? Looking around at those that had encircled
him, he said “here are my mother and my brothers…for whoever does the will of
God is my brother, sister and mother.”
His words,
his healing, his exorcism proclaims the kingdom of God. Jesus’ healing in today’s
gospel proves the power of God in the world. It proves the power of God in his
Son, Jesus, over Satan. That same Satan that caused the fall of our first
parent, Adam and Eve, read in today’s first reading, Genesis 3:9-15.
In God’s
kingdom, Jesus is also not out of his mind as thought by the Scribes. But, in Jesus’
kingdom, which is a mystery, beyond our ordinary human expectation, all are
welcomed (young and old, male and female), especially those who do the will of
God, who love, who are forgiving and generous to their neighbors, especially the
poor. In God's kingdom there is mercy, there is fullness of redemption and there is no division.
In Jesus’
kingdom preached by Apostle Paul in the 2nd reading (2 Cor
4:13-5:1), the Corinthian community, members of the church are invited to be humble, endure in their suffering,
trustful and hope in God. Not just on earthly things power and influence. They
are invited and reminded that “they have a building from God, a dwelling not
made with hands, eternal in heaven.
In spite of
the challenges of our times, and cultural vicissitudes, let us pray at this
worship that we may always build our lives around the values of Jesus, around the
values of God’s kingdom: peace, joy, inclusiveness, and forgiveness, charity to
the poor, the elderly, and total commitment and surrendering to the will God---
his healing touch, his tender mercies, his love, his compassion, his rule and leadership.
Reflection
Questions:
- In the light of today’s scriptures what is your reassessment of the mystery of the rule and kingdom of God?
- In what ways have we helped in spreading this kingdom of God?
- Could we think of a specific instance when we assisted a member of our faith community to recommit his or her trust in God and in the foundation built for us by the Christ of Mark’s gospel?
