24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 50:4c—9a

SECOND READING
James 2:14—18

GOSPEL
Mark 8:27—35

THEME: FAITH IS BEYOND THE WORDS OF THE MOUTH.

After looking at some situations in this world I come to say that faith is the hardest thing one can achieve through an easiest way. What happened in a certain family made me to understand that faith is the best thing or treasure one can have.

A family of six, four children. It happened that the first child and daughter of the family in her final year in the University suffered just a little headache and died. The last child and daughter in the same way died. The family also endured it as they did in the first one. The first son in his second year in the University died also. It happened that he was my classmate. When we were going there for the burial, we were just praying to God to help us so that we would not bury two persons or even more than. When the body of the boy return from the mortuary, we divided ourselves into two groups. One should go and get the casket and the other should go closer to the parents to avoid stories that touch the heart. To our greatest surprise, it was obvious that they were consoling some of us. After the mass, as they were appreciating all that came. The mother said, I know you people are expecting us to kill ourselves today because of the death of our son, it will not solve the problem, you are expecting us to cry, it will not solve the problem, people are expecting us to do one thing or the other, and all of them cannot solve the problem. It is only faith in God that created us can solve the problem. When she said this, I asked myself, Tobe Eze, can you have this type of faith? Why this story? Continue Reading..........................

The first reading is telling us how Isaiah did not lose his faith in God despite all that were done to him. He rather offered all for he knew that God will not forsake him.

St. James in the second reading is asking us how we can show our faith without our works. I met a man somewhere in a certain place. He told me that he does not know what is wrong with his wife. He said that he loves her so much but the woman keeps on giving him trouble every now and then. After all said and done, I told him that I will like to meet with his wife. When we got to his house, I asked him to please repeat what he told me. When he finished, I asked the wife to talk, she said that all primary responsibilities of a husband that her husband does not try to do any of them talk more of reaching the best of it. When I turned to the man to say something he said, I do not reach but I still love you. I asked him, how can you show us that you love your wife without providing the necessary things needed for the love that you have? He said, the love is in the heart it is not a must that you act it out. This is the type of thing St. James is talking about today. If you have faith in God act it out just like in the story above.

In the gospel, Peter acted out the faith he had in his heart by coming up to tell Jesus that he is the Christ the Son of the living God. This action promoted him but to know the implication of the promotion Jesus said. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it." It does not end in becoming a Christian saying that you have faith. Act it out when tribulations come, when joys come. Help those who are in need that is how to show that you have faith in God of love. Faith is not what we just say for saying sake that we have rather it is what we say going in the same line with what we do. Faith is really beyond words of the mouth. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY.