31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Malachi 1:14b—2:2b, 8—10

SECOND READING
1 Thessalonians 2:7b—9, 13

GOSPEL
Matthew 23:1—12

THEME: BECAUSE OF THE WORD.

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God (John 1:1-14). This word is what has been doing mighty things from the beginning of the world till now and will continue forever. Genesis recorded the account of creation as what was done through the power of the word. Let there be and there was. Everything good comes from this word. St. Augustine said that God created the world out of nothing. Nihi est nihilo Continue Reading............................

In the first reading, God is telling those who are ruling others what he will do to them since they are ekwu nkea eme ọzọ they say this one and do otherwise. They ask their subjects to do good and turn to commit the highest sin in the world. To be a good leader, one must lead by example and if you decide to show people bad examples, the one who called you to the ministry will not watch you go unpublished unless you repent.

The examples I was talking about above are what St. Paul is bringing out for us in the second reading. He is showing us how those who are in the position of office should live. He was telling the Thessalonians, that they were gentle to them because of the word they were carrying and many other ways they lived. We should also be careful and gentle because of those looking unto us. Onye ana ekirir adighi mma ikpo ntụ.

In the Gospel, Jesus is telling us who are being led by others to obey the word but not follow the bad footsteps they leave us. He is just trying to tell us that he is away that some of those he called to the ministry are not measuring up. We should not capitalize on the failings of our leaders rather let us listen to them for they teach the word which is God. We should also remember to pray for them for they are still parts of us.

Some of us are now shepherds that eat the sheep they are asked to protect, provide, tend and feed. Nkịta n’ ata ọkpụkpụ anyadoro ya n’ olu. Instead of feeding them, we are now feeding on them. God is telling us today to have a change of heart or else we suffer it forever. I know a particular family that the mother was using the female children to make money. She will buy seductive clothes for them and she will tell them, arụ ụnụ bụ ego. Your bodies are money. She will tell them that their father left her to alone to train you people not knowing that God has blessed her with those three daughters of her. This particular woman, instead of shepherding the children was using them as her goods. She was using her daughters as means to an end. Again I know of a priest whom one of his congregations asked him the cause of diabetes, because the man is a drunkard and a chain smoker the priest instead of telling him the truth, told him that the answer is too much alcohol and smoke. The man turned and told him. Wow! So the Pope is taking too much alcohol and smoke. That he read in the paper that the Pope is suffering from diabetes. The priest had to change and started explaining again to the man the reason for the answer but it was already late. Some of us who are leader have a long way to go. We tell people to do what we know we cannot do ourselves.

Some of us who are being led are no more interested in obeying but looking for faults in our leaders so that we criticize. Jesus is telling us today that we should overlook the failings of our leaders. We should focus on the word. Some do not even understand that leaders are also human beings. We should not allow talk about them. Fada nkea awọkụrọ. This is not material. Look unto the word.

We the leaders and we the followers have to overlook many things from our followers and our leaders. Because of the word of God we are to discomfort ourselves. Jesus is the word, we should do things because of him. The word took flesh and dwelt among us. Okwu ahụ were ahụ owere binyere anyị. (John 1:14). Let us because of the word accommodate the failings of our leaders and our followers. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY.