Rev. Fr. Paul AFOLABI

 

The first reading says that the humble and the lowly people will seek the Lord. In the second reading Paul says that God chooses the foolish to shame the wise. The Gospel contains the beatitudes which show that sometimes God sees things very differently from the way we see them.

I once heard a homily where it was shared that the 12 apostles will unlikely qualify for any job in today’s age. Each of them had characteristics which would embarrass any major corporation and yet Jesus chose each one of them to be his companions. Through their preachings and examples, they ended up spreading the faith throughout the world. Whilst this may seem to be hilarious now, in reality, what St. Paul proclaimed in the second reading is true. Jesus has often chosen people whom the world will not expect to spread his word.

It may seem strange that Jesus offered a different approach, but this is the most important part of his message to us as Christians today. There is a need to disabuse ourselves of the notion that we need to equip ourselves with the items and knowledge which the world determines to be relevant, latest and even important. Instead, we need to depend fully on Jesus to guide our actions. The Jewish people are reminded by the prophet Zephaniah in the first reading today that it was not the mighty warrior nor the sharp sword which was valued by God, instead, it was the spirituality of the powerless which moved God tremendously. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

And I find this very instructive in our lives as we come to the end of the month of January and begin a new month, February. We may have started the year with grand plans and desires to achieve an outcome different from the year of 2025. Perhaps we are on our way to achieving them, but we have also deviated from what we desire.

It would be good if we take time today to spend it in solitude, in the quietness of our rooms, Church or a nature reserve; so that we can ask God to illuminate our lives and take control of it. From the Beatitudes of today's gospel, let us ask ourselves if the plans which we set fall in line with what Jesus desired of us? Despite our weaknesses, we could turn to the Gospel of today and choose one of the Beatitudes which we feel is relevant in giving us the direction we need. They will then allow us to rediscover God’s love in our lives and through that, we can share the joy of being a Christian to all around us.

We give thanks for those who remind us of the importance of being joyful. Amen.