WEDNESDAY 16TH WEEK IN
ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: JEREMIAH
1:1. 4-10
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 13:1-9
THEME: THOSE WHO WILL ACCEPT IT
WILL BEAR MORE FRUIT.
Jeremiah the prophet was called
by God to preach and prophesy to his people Israel. He wanted to run away from
that by giving excuses for he knew what result prophets get. God promised to be
with him. Now the problem is no more from Jeremiah but now on those whom he
will preach and prophesy to. Will they accept it? It is this question that the
gospel came to answer.
Some fell on the road, among
thorns, on stones or rocks and on a good soil. Many that are messengers of God
are now everywhere preaching and prophesying to us. How do we make our hearts
ready for the message? Do we prepare it to be a road or thorns or rock or the
good and fertile soil? The onus lies on us to make our hearts ready to accept
and work with the word of the Lord which has been given to us by God.
A story circulated on social
media one time ago about a Barber who said that God does not exist. His
customer tried to argue with him but could not fine enough reason to back his
argument up. The Barber talked about the moral decadence in the world as a
proof that God does not exist. He said that, there are many priests, pastors
and other preachers everywhere but evil still has upper hand in the world which
shows that God does not exist. The customer left the shop after his barbing,
outside he saw a man with bushy and dirty hair. He went back and told the
Barber that Barbers do not exist. He said to him, I am a Barber who just barbed
you now, and I exist how can you say that? He went out and brought that man
with bushy and dirty hair and showed him to the Barber. He said, if barbers
exist, why is it that people like this still exist? He told him that they have
refused to come to them barbers to barb them, then the man told him also that
those who commit all those sins have refused to accept the preaching of those
men and women of God outside their. And that made the Barber to be humble and
accept that God exists.
It is not that preachers are no
more doing their works but it is our disposition that is very important and not
long and rich homilies, reflections and every other things. Igbos do say, ma
onye agwalu kwe. If the one addressed accepts it. Let us accept the
word of God with faith today and work with it so that we shall bear more fruit
and our fruit will last and salvation will be ours. Thanks.