THE SCANDAL OF FAMILIARITY

HOMILY FOR THE 14^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

We may find ourselves achieving success so easily that we fail to realize the hand of God in it to the extent that we relegate grace. We may also find ourselves being so used to the sacred worship and practices in the Church to the extent of seeing them as routines. We may again find ourselves having more time and respect for people who are not always with us than for people who are always with us, laughing and drinking with us. We may equally find ourselves relegating to the background persons that actually would be our potential saviour.  These and many of their likes are the scandals of familiarity. One may not categorically state the reason for these scandals. They vary. A priest disguised himself as a dirty beggar. Some time before the actual time for worship, he went about on the nearby streets asking people for help. Some despised him, some abused him, some rejected him, and a great number of people were indifferent to his plight. No one wanted him to come any closer, because of who he was (a dirty beggar) and what he did (begging). 

Of course, it is a common knowledge in our world that any person who begs on the street is wretched and therefore belongs to the lowest rank in the society. This was the experience of this priest who wanted to teach his congregation the need for love and charity. But beyond this lesson is a highlight of the persuasive inclination of man to despise that which for them has no value, and which for them is not worthy to be honoured. One needed to have seen the reaction of the people when the priest finally revealed who he really was to the congregation that was now waiting for their minister. They never knew that the same minister they were waiting for was the same filthy beggar they had seen on the pavements and at the entrance gate of the church. There were cries and regrets. This was a man who had long queues of people waiting to see him in his office; and now he was out of the office, on the streets, and no one desired to look at him again. This is the world for us. Many a time, someone’s ‘background’ (nationality, family, work, etc) can be the reason for being despised.

This was the experience of Jesus in the Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) of today. The people of his hometown despised him simply because they knew him. Familiarity they say breeds contempt. Sometimes, we are too near people to see their greatness. We are too near the Holy Communion to feel its efficacy. They were amazed about what Jesus did and said, but then they did not take him serious because they knew his father, mother, brothers and sisters. They already knew the occupation of his father. A carpenter was just regarded as a lay man in the society. He can be good with hand work; yes, but not among the learned of the society. So, when a person from such a background rises as a prophet, people are surprised and most times disregard him. However, their contempt did not stop Jesus from doing his work among them. The only consequence of their lack of faith blocked them from encountering the power of God.

God knew why he chose to be born in a lowly state for the accomplishment of his mission on earth. But human beings have failed to learn from this divine approach to mission. We may start small, but that does not mean we shall end small. We may be disabled, but that does not mean that God is not able. But we must work not to disable others because they are familiar with us. Familiarity can actually breed love, and not contempt. It should be more appreciated when the redeemer is from our home and not from our neighbour’s home. It should be more honourable if the prophet rises from my home. At least, one becomes sure that charity has got to begin at home. In fact, God desires that he raises prophets from our homes. This was the message he wanted to pass to the Israelites in the First Reading (Ezekiel 2: 2-5); the call of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was commissioned to speak to his own people. We must therefore learn to rise against being contemptuous to our household who work for God.

Paul, in the Second Reading (2 Cor. 12:7-10) had felt weak as a preacher. Most probably, what he regarded as thorn in the flesh made him weak and slightly unable to move around for the gospel message. But, it was at that point that he realized that the grace of God is made more manifest in our weakness. God does not despise the weak; rather he raises the weak to shame the strong. Weakness then becomes an easy invitation to grace. So, when we feel weak over anything, especially over the type of family we are born into, or over our work, we must remember that weakness plus grace will be equal to divine strength. It is the grace of God amidst our effort that can convert the humble beginning to a robust ending. Success is not achieved without grace.

The Lord is free to use any human being to accomplish his purpose. When we honour one another, we do that because of the God in Him. We do that because of what the Lord will certainly do with him. We must grow beyond ephemeral honour to discover the major reason why we must respect one another. We do not need to know someone’s class before we respect him. We need not know where someone comes from before we respect him. We need not know the name one bears before we honour him. We need not know the type of Institution someone attended before we regard him as intelligent. We need not base our employment criterion on qualifications that are exotic.

We need not reject listening to people because they are not learned or because they are not from our desired place. We need not despise people because of the type of work they do. We need not reduce others to nothing based on one disability or the other. One thing is common. We are all human beings created by God and for God. And thus, I dream of a world where respect and honour will no longer be based on the class of persons, but on the dignity of the human person. I dream of a world where equal opportunities are offered to everyone. I dream of a world where men would start to acknowledge fellow men not because of an exotic or luxurious manner of life, but because of simplicity and humility. I dream of a world where faith goes beyond religious figures and are based on principles that actually improve and enhance the real humanity of mankind. Amen. God bless you.