More of God And Less of Material Things

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church

Baton Rouge, LA

July 15, 2012

It’s time to send out the Twelve in twos. They have been with Jesus for a while. As his disciples, they have been taught and learned enough to be sent. As students/disciples of the Rabbi, they have been equipped enough to be sent out in twos, on their own without Jesus following them physically. It’s time for them to go out there and demonstrate what they had learned. The period of tutorship was over. Graduation celebration was over. Being under the watchful eyes of their Master and watch him do all the talking was over. Like the mother bird, Jesus had finished teaching them how to fly on their own. The time has come for them to fly out “unassisted.” The moment of hunting on their own has come. In this case, not hunting for ants or other foods, but hunting for the lost sheep, God’s children. 

After giving them authority to dethrone evil spirits and render them powerless, Jesus gave his Apostles a simple but difficult instructions of taking nothing for the journey but a walking stick. He instructed them not to travel with food, or sack, or money in their belts. They can wear their sandals but should not take with them a second tunic. According to the iMac dictionary, a tunic is “a loose garment, typically sleeveless and reaching to the wearer’s knees worn in ancient Greece and Rome.” As for where his Apostles should take up residence, Jesus said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”

But what essentially is the Lord telling his Apostles to do? The Lord wants his Apostles and disciples to embark on the journey of calling God’s children home without worrying about material things, but rather to trust in God for everything. In the Gospel of Matthew 6:25, Jesus puts it clearer when he said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” 

The Christian life is a journey towards God. As we embark on this journey daily, we should strive not to cling so much on material things but on spiritual things. We should strive daily to cling less on material things but more on spiritual things. Our very lives should not be defined in relation to the things of this world. The fancy earthly things we have are not what make us and we should not be defined in relation to them. We should be defined in relation to God. Our very lives should be a manifestation of the good God. We are called to reflect the glory of God. In God we all should trust. In 1956, America got it right when it adopted as its official motto “In God we trust.” Unfortunately, many in America today have long disregarded those words. Some do not trust in God anymore but rather in humanity. Some do not even trust in humanity at all but in dollars. For such people, a human person is important and relevant inasmuch as he or she can be used to make more money for them. 

But our Lord Jesus Christ reminds today of the importance of trusting more in God and less in material things. Every material thing is transient. Money, silver, gold, wealth etc are fleeting and transient things. Today we have them, tomorrow it is either we are gone or they are gone. But God, our greatest Treasure, our most Precious Jewel of inestimable value does not pass away; and those who believe and trust in him, those who cling on to him, those who lean on him, cannot pass away either. In John 11:25, Jesus assures us, “I am the resurrection and the life. And those who believe in me, even if they die, they shall still live.” 

Prayer

Good and gracious God, I want to be more of you; and be less of me. I pray to you that there will be less of me and more of you. Turn my eyes away from material things and fix them on you, on Jesus and on the Holy Spirit. Help me to always remember that you are an ageless and undying Treasure and make me cling on to you. You are my best inheritance. Therefore, I lay down all my earthly desires and plans at the foot of the cross and cling strongly on the One you sent to die for me, Jesus Christ. 

Make me more of you and less of me dear Lord. In Jesus most wonderful Name I pray. Amen.