Homily-
Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ord Time. Yr. B/Memorial of St. Gregory
the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church- Fr. Udoekpo
v 1 Cor 3:18-23
v Ps 24:1bc-2,3-4ab,5-6
v Luke 5:1-11
Everything
Belongs to Him- Jesus (Ps 24:1)
Today
we celebrate the memorial of St. Gregory the Great (540-604), Pope and Doctor
of the Church. One outstanding things in his life that falls in line with the
Bible lessons of today, is that Gregory left his position in the Roman
Government to become monk and used his wealth to found six monasteries and
promote the faith.
In the Gospel reading of today, Luke 5:1-11, Simon Peter and his other disciples- James and John, had toiled all night in the sea without catching any fish. They only had to catch a great catch of fish only when they obeyed Jesus’ command “Put out into the deep water lower your net for a catch”(Luke 5:4). Because, of this miracle of the great catch, when they had brought their boats to the shore, they “left everything and followed” Jesus. They became fishers of men(‘adām,/anthropoi: male and female, old and young, of all cultures). For they knew as the psalmist would put it, “to the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it” (Ps 24:1)
But, what is it that they(Peter, James and John) left, and followed Jesus?:- everything- their wealth,
material things, farm, power, positions, property, livelihood, money, friends,
family, fishing net, our intellects, skills, to name but a few, for they knew,
even from our creation story in the Book Genesis 1-3, Psalms 8, 24, 103, that
everything, human beings, male and female and all in the biodiversity, all
belong to God.
St. Gregory whom we celebrate today, no doubt, would have
read this Gospel, listening and learning from Christ and Peter of the cost of
discipleship and of total abandonment and self-sacrifice, knowing that all
things in the community of creation- humans and non-humans all belong to God.
He is the source of all that we have, material and immaterial.
Saint Paul, whom we
have been reading throughout this week in the first reading, I Corinthian
3:18-23 drives home similar points. He insists and reminds the divided,
boasting and materialistic Corinthian community of the foolishness of their “human
wisdom,” for the “wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.
By the wisdom of this world, Paul no doubt is referring
to the foolishness of the world that prefers division to unity, violence, and
war, terrorism to peace, pride to humility, disobedience to obedience, faithlessness
to faith, materialism and consumerism to modesty, selfishness to works of
charity, indifference to compassion, racism and segregation to integration and
inclusiveness etc. The opposite should be the case- that is the where true
wisdom- God is found.
If we then like Christ, Saints Peter, James, John and Paul, Saint Gregory the Great, and the Psalmist know that everything we have and are belong to God- then we may have to reexamine how we treat others, humans and other creatures. We may have to rethink how we use all that God has blessed us with: wealth, material goods, intellects, our bodies, our lives, money, homes, houses, our talents and gifts- generously for the service of God, through our neighbors,male and female, young and old, black and white, all in the community, especially of the poor and the needy, with humility, fear of the Lord and trembling!
To those in various positions of authority, the opening
prayer, the collect at this mass of the memorial day of Saint Gregory is very
informative. And why don’t we pray this together as a conclusion to this
reflection.
“O God, who care for your people with gentleness and rule
them in love,
Through the intercession of Pope Saint Gregory, endow, we
pray, with a spirit of wisdom those to whom you have given authority to govern,
that the flourishing of a holy flock may become the eternal joy of the
shepherds.”
1.
How often do we remember that all that we are, have, material and
immaterial belong to God?
2.
What have we left to follow Jesus, or sacrifice for the good of others and
the community that you belong?
3.
How have you used your God given resources, authority, power, like Peter,
Paul and Gregory to serve the Lord and your neighbors?
