HOMILY OF 9TH MONDAY OF ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: “A MAN PLANTED A VINEYARD…”
BY: Bishop Anthony Ewherido
2 Peter 1:2-7; Psalm 90(91):1-2, 14-16; Mark 12:1-12
St. Charles Lwanga and Companions; Pray for Us.
Today’s parable reminds us that we are all tenants in God’s vineyard. St. Peter, in the first reading, perfectly represents the divine provisions for the vineyard and its tenants as follows: “By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness.” Life is on lease to us. At harvest time, God would demand an account of the lives we have lived and all the resources He put at our disposal. To be unaccountable is to take God for granted and count for nothing the immense sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. That betrays our failure to realize that Jesus is indeed the corner stone of our lives. Without him, we have neither stability nor strength. Accountability happens when we heed St. Peter’s recommendations: “adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.” This challenge urges us to aim at being accountable in our daily lives and encounters; meaning what we promise and commit to in our relationships; handling public and community goods and funds with the required transparency; and fulfilling our commitments of love toward spouses, family, friends and others.
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If we remain unaccountable in these regards, we would fall short of the demands of heaven at the end of time. Today’s feast of the Ugandan Martyrs issues another challenge. Sometimes, God demands the gift our very lives as part of the returns we must make. Like these martyrs, let us pray for the courage to give our very selves if we are “privileged” with the gift of such a challenge and not deny God in a bid to save our lives; tantamount to losing even that which we want to save.
Lord, do not abandon us; give us courage to follow you all of the time. Amen.
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