Homily (Reflection) for
the Second Sunday of the Year (A) (19th January, 2020) on the Gospel
Is 49:3.5-6;
Ps 39:2.4.7-10 (R. vv.8.9);
1Cor 1: 1-3;
Jn 1:29-34.
One day, a young
man went to pay utility bills but could not be attended to immediately. As he
waited, the cashier asked him: “Please, are you a seminarian?” And he said no.
She continued to attend to other customers but after some time, she asked him
another question: “Or are you in a mission school?” To this the young man also
said no. She also asked him other questions but the young man did not admit
being any of the things she thought he was. When the cashier had exhausted the
possible places she thought he could have come from, she began to accuse him of
lying to her. At this point, the young man asked her of the reason/s behind all
her questions. She simply told him that after observing his behaviour from the
time he arrived she was not in doubt that he was from one of the places she
mentioned. According to her, his behaviour contradicted what she observed every
day. Just before leaving her office, he told her: “I am a seminarian. Although
I did not want to hide my identity but I wanted to observe how things are done
outside the four walls of the seminary. I am so sorry for the inconveniences.
God bless you”.
Topic: … this is the Son of
God (Jn 1:34).
In
the gospel we read: “… Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because
he was before me” (vv. 29-30). One
can easily conclude that John was able to know Jesus and to testify because he
was a prophet. But he went on to say in verse 31: “I myself did not know him ….” He repeated this very statement in
verse 33 but something made him to know him: “… but the one who sent me to
baptise with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and
remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’” (v.33). He never knew him but when he saw the signs he concluded
“this is the Son of God” (v. 34).
This testimony of Saint John the Baptist calls for a sober reflection.
We read in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians: “for in
Christ Jesus you [Christians] are all sons of God, through faith” (Gal 3:26). Again, in his letter to the
Romans we also read: “…all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8:14). We enter into Christ Jesus
through the sacrament of Baptism because we are baptized into Jesus Christ, cf.
Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27. Through the
sacrament of Baptism the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us, cf. Acts 2:38; 1Cor 3:16.
Hence, Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans reads: “But you are
not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in
you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom 8:9). That is if the Holy Spirit is
not in us, we cannot claim to be children of God. And there is no midway
between being in the flesh and being in the Spirit because being in the Spirit
excludes one from the flesh and vice versa. One must be either in the Spirit or
in the flesh, cf. Gal 5:16-26.
Because it will be easy for one to say that he or she is in
the Spirit and that the other person is in the flesh, let us consider briefly
what it means to be in the Spirit and what it means to be in the flesh. In his
letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul wrote:
...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no
law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the flesh with its passions and desires. If
we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not
become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another (Gal 5:22-26).
On the contrary, the fruits of the flesh include: “…
fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing,
and things like these.” (Gal 5:19-21).
It is important to note that it is in the Holy Spirit that
Christians are sealed for the day of redemption, cf. Eph 4:30. This is because those who are in the flesh cannot please
God, Rom 8:8. Saint Paul advices us
to “… walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). It is “by your hard and
impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when
God's righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom 2:5). According to prophet Zephaniah, “A day of wrath is … a
day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness
and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zeph 1:15). Isaiah asks us to "Seek the Lord while he may be
found, call upon him while he is near” (Is
55:6).
My dear brothers/sisters in the Lord, considering these and
many more, it is left for each and every one of us to know whether he or she is
in the Spirit or in the flesh. We are to be known by our fruits and not by what
we put on or what we answer, cf. Matt
7:16, 20. If John the Baptist who did not know Jesus saw him and was able
to recognise Him, then those who did not know us should be able to recognise us
when they see us because of the same Holy Spirit in us. One must be spiritual
to be able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, cf. 1Cor 2:14.
Bible
Reading: Zeph
1:14-18; 1Cor 4:1-12; Eph 5:3-20; Rom 8:1-17; 12:1-21; Col
3:1-4:1; Gal 5:16-26; Heb 2:1-4.
Silent Prayer: Can someone who did not know you testify
on seeing you that you are a child of God (Christian)?
Let
us Pray: Lord, give us the grace to be always your children
we are called to be in thoughts, words and in actions – Amen.
You
are free to share this reflection with others if you consider it worthy.
For more homilies (reflections):
Visit
our website: www.thepulpitonline.com
Join our WhatsApp
Group via: +234 810 298 6313
Send
us Email: thepulpitonline@gmail.com
Tel:
+234 813 305 0302
Email:
thepulpitonline@gmail.com
May God bless you all+
No comments:
Post a Comment