Let’s go tell them that only Jesus is the Savior of Humanity; only Him can save

Let’s go tell them that only Jesus is the Savior of Humanity; only Him can save

Homily for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Holy Names Church

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Today, brothers and sisters, I am going to tell you an interesting story. The story is about a skeptic man who visited the Fiji Islands. As a skeptic, he was skeptical about Jesus, about Christian missionaries, and Christianity in general. Inside the Islands, he paid a special visit to the chief and during their conversation, he discovered that the Chief was constantly making references to Jesus, to the Christian church and to the good works the missionaries were doing in his kingdom. The skeptic even saw a Bible on the table, and different pictures of Jesus hanging on the wall. He now decided to spread his skepticism. “No one believes what the Bible has to say nowadays. No body believes that stuff about Jesus either. People know better now that all those talks about Jesus dying on the cross are only a hoax and a fraud.” He went on “I am sorry if I have offended your faith, but you will be better of not believing in that crap about Jesus of Nazareth.”

But the Fiji chief did not show any visible sign of anger, instead said to him “Do you see that stone over there? On that stone we smashed and shattered the heads of our victims until they were dead. Do you see that oven over there? It is in that oven that we roasted the human bodies of such people for our great feasts. If it had not been for those wonderful and holy missionaries you are ridiculing before me, if it were not for the message of Jesus in the Bible, if it were not for the redeeming love of Jesus Christ that forgave us and transformed us from being savages to God’s children, you would be roasting in that oven now.”

I want to believe that after hearing what the Fiji chief had said about the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ, the foolish skeptic was never the same as he went home.

The Twelve Apostles of Jesus were always with Jesus, accompanying him wherever he went except for few occasions Jesus was with only the Three Specials- Peter, James and John. The Apostles were with Jesus as he went from village to village, from region to region preaching, teaching, healing, and setting free those held hostage by the spirits of demons. They were on the boat when Jesus calmed the raged sea (Mark 4:34-44), they even expressed their shock “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him”. They were there when he cured the Ten Lepers exiled and ex-communicated from their families and friends (Luke 17:11-19). They were there when Jesus received the gratitude of one of them who came back to show appreciation. The Apostles were there when Jesus spoke the words Talitha koum! which means “little girl, I say to you, get up.” They were there and saw the joy, the excitement and the gratitude on the glowing face of Jairus as he witnessed the “second life” of his daughter (Mark 5:35-43). They were there when the blind Bartimaeus had his sight restored by Jesus (Luke 18: 35-43). They also witnessed the raising of the dead Lazarus to life (John 11:1-43). They saw Jesus multiplied five loafs of bread and two fish to feed the multitudes who came to listen to his words of wisdom. These events surely changed the lives of the Twelve. They surely never remained the same again after witnessing these great events. They heard Jesus preach the most beautiful message “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16).

In today’s gospel taking from Luke 10:1-12, 17-20, Jesus sends out 72 others who also had witnessed and experienced the redeeming love of Jesus and the kingdom of God. Like the Twelve, they also have heard the redeeming message of Jesus and had therefore been convinced that Jesus is the Savior of humanity, only him can save. Let me quickly say that the Twelve represent all the church’s leaders- the pope, bishops, priests, deacons, and all the religious men and women (i.e. those vowed in religious orders), the Seventy-Two represent you, the laity. Therefore the spreading of the Good News, the witnessing of the Gospel is not an exclusive duty for the ordained and the professed alone. All God’s people are called to “spread abroad a living witness to him, especially by a life of faith and love and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips praising his name” (Lumen Gentium, 12). By the virtue of our baptism, all Christians not just the ordained and the professed alone but also you the lay faithful of God are the “People of God” and each person in his or her own way is called to join in the spreading of the message “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

While sending out the 72, Jesus gave the following injunctions: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” The Lord wanted us to travel light. He does not want us to be bogged down by material things. It is easy to get ensnared and enslaved by the things of this life. Jesus wanted his disciples to be solely concerned about nothing else but the mission he was sending them. The disciples were to be single minded in their mission. Jesus wanted his disciples to be simple because in the course of carrying out their mission, their simplicity will attract both the poor and the rich. Most of those who will pay attention to their message would be simple, i.e. poor. The wealthy even in their riches would be touched that despite the simplicity of the preachers, they were still happy. So the simplicity of the preachers will win the attention of both the poor and the rich. Travelling light meant that the 72 would trust in the providence of God for their daily needs. The Lord was simply telling them to be like that the “lilies of the field” and “birds of the air” that rely entirely on the goodness of God to survive. The disciples were to rely on the God-given hospitality of those they visit.

Are you able to see what Jesus was showing to those he is sending out? Do you see what the Lord is doing here? Jesus was demonstrating that there must be a close link between the talking the talk of faith and the walking the walk of faith. The obedience of faith matters as much as the expression of faith. The Lord was saying to them “I am not sending you out only to tell people about faith in the One who alone is good, I am also sending you out to demonstrate to them what would happen to them when they really believe and trust in the One who alone is good.” By telling the 72 missionaries not to worry about food and clothing but to trust in God – Jesus was telling them not to tell people about faith alone but to let their listeners see in their lives what it means to trust God even in simple things like food and clothes.

Jesus also tells them “greet no one along the way.” This does not mean that those sent should be snobby and snubby. It is not an instruction to discourtesy. Jesus was simply telling them that the errand he is sending them is a serious one. In African villages, when a parent sends a child on errand, the first command is usually “go quickly and come back, don’t play along the way.” Those sent for the mission of God must not turn aside or linger on the lesser things while the great things call him.

Jesus goes on to say “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the town.” Jesus does not want those sent for the mission to spend their time looking for a particular accommodation they want. He wants them to accept whatever accommodation that is offered and get down to the business of preaching “The Kingdom of God is close at hand.”

These instructions given by Jesus to those who are sent speak volume of the urgency of the task. Spreading the message of salvation should be something we take seriously. We must express our Christian faith; we must let others know about our faith in Jesus Christ. But in doing that, we must guard against denying or betraying our faith in Jesus by the type of life we live. Preachers who say one thing and do another are usually not taken seriously. Christianity is not just a religion, it is a way of life; it ought to be a culture.

The 72 returned with joy because they did what Jesus ask them to do. Joy is one treasure that those who join in the mission of Jesus will never lack. Rejoicing with his disciples, Jesus cautioned them against being proud and arrogant. He urged them to rejoice not because of what they have accomplished but because their names are written in heaven. The greatest glory of a Christian is not what he/she has done but what God has done for him/her and through him/her. Pride is capable of shutting the door of heaven against us; but humility is the visa to the presence of God. No wonder a saint once said “There are virgins in hell, but there is no one in hell who is humble.”

As we go about doing the very task and assignment given to us by the Lord, which is preaching that “the Kingdom of the God is close at hand,” let us remember that the most effective way of doing that is by embracing the rare virtues of humility and simplicity. Preachers of the Christian message who enrich themselves inordinately and emphasizing so much on material prosperity (that is, prosperity preachers) are clearly “carrying too many bags, too many sacks, and lots of sandals.” And instead of preaching that the “Kingdom of God is close at hand” they are busy seeking out rich people in the name greetings when the gospel says “Greet no one along the way.”

Sister and brothers, let’s go after the Lord’s business. The call to spread the Christian message is not just the sole duty of priests, you are also involved. Let your witness of the gospel make Jesus say “I observed Satan fall like lightening from the sky.”

God bless today, bless you tomorrow, and bless you forever!