REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 7TH OCTOBER 2023 (Be Joyful for the Right Cause

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 7TH OCTOBER 2023

Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29; Ps.69; Luke 10:17-24

Be Joyful for the Right Cause

Two days ago, we read of Jesus sending out the seventy others to preach in his name. He seemingly did not make it easy for them. First, they must have wondered if they will be able to do what Jesus has been doing; should they encounter possessed persons, will they be able to deliver them? What if the evil spirits overpowers them? Second, to make matter worse, Jesus instructed them not to go with anything for their sustenance (no purse, no bag, no sandals). Funny enough, Jesus did not assure them that they have His authority to overcome serpents and scorpions until they returned. The much He told them was that they were like lambs in the midst of wolves.

Consequently, it becomes easy to understand the joy of the seventy as they returned from the mission; that they were not only unhurt but also successful. They could do what Jesus was doing. It became obvious to them that they have been made powerful. To be powerful in Christ is a necessary Christian character. By virtue of our baptism, we too have been commissioned likewise. But this character has distracted many because they do not pay attention to what Jesus said thereafter.

Christ redirected the source of the joy of the seventy. They should not be happy they they have been empowered; rather, they should be happy that they have rightly used the power and consequently have had their names written in heaven. How did they rightly use the power? When they came back joyfully, they said: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name". First and foremost, they never lost sight of the fact that it was Jesus that acted through them. They did not testify to how powerful they acted but to how mightily God had used them. Second, they recorded their success on the basis of what God used them to do for others namely, that those under demonic oppression and possession were set free; not on the basis of how they enriched themselves.

Now, do these two reasons constitute the joy of every disciple of Christ today? The presence of God's authority in a man or woman is not a guarantee that the person will be saved. Therefore, to be powerful here on earth by virtue of ones gifts, position, wealth, privileges, etc, does not translate to making heaven. Consequently, to be Joyful on account of ones gift, position, wealth, privileges, etc, without considering whether they are used according to the will of the Giver, is to be Joyful for the wrong reason.

God is love and in His love, He will always use human instruments to provide for his children. Whether we are holy or not, God will act through us for the sake of His people. Holiness may not be a criterion for him to act through us, but it is surely a criterion for us to be saved. Until our salvation is the reason for our joys, we may just be signboards who show the way to others but never go the way. Beloved, be wise enough to look beyond what you have and where you are (position) today.