THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY FIFTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
Ss Cosmas and Damian, Mm. (Opt. Mem.)
Ecclesiastes 1:2-11
Luke 9:7-9
PURIFYING OUR DESIRE FOR JESUS.
Herod had great curiosity and desire to know who Jesus was. He inquired and troubled himself asking and demanding to know who Jesus actually was. This curiosity and desire was fueled by his guilty conscience. He had beheaded John the baptist and wanted to know the relationship between Jesus and John the baptist. So, his attraction to Jesus was selfish, egocentric and self serving. He was attracted to Jesus for the wrong reasons. He sought the knowledge of Jesus to quieten his conscience and no other reason since he has been beclouded by his self importance, sinfulness and status.
Our striving, struggles and desire to draw close to Jesus may also have so many reasons that may even be self-serving, selfish and egocentric. Why do we need Jesus? What is the reasons behind our quest for Jesus? We may be like Herod. Am I having the right reasons for followership and desire for Jesus?
We must always remember that Jesus had cautioned us severally on this. He told us once, “many are called by few are chosen.” because many have got the wrong reasons and only few have got the right reasons for followership. Again, he declared, “why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I tell you.”
Our country particularly, is agog with the name of Christ and his teachings, preaching and churches who tend to stand for Christ. Churches are springing up daily, pastors, evangelists, prophets and men and women of God are increasing in numbers in our different churches. Everybody is turning Christian, and carrying the Bible. Market women, civil servants, politicians hold prayer sessions daily in their offices, markets and business places.
Yet, in all these situations, they still abound and even in increased volume and speed, so much sins, iniquities, and anti Christian ideas, teachings and lifestyles even among the supposed Christian settings. There is something missing. Christianity seem not to touch on our attitude and lifestyle. It is hanging somewhere.
We can only trace our despicable and hopeless situation to our having and nursing the very wrong reason for following Jesus as Herod had.
Many Christian Churches have become business centres, who use the name of Christ for money, prosperity and material advancement of themselves and their families. So many people turn Christianity into a job situation that gives them their daily food. Others advance their personal agenda of seeking Jesus only for the reasons of being healed of their infirmities, being delivered from their situations of subjugation and being given a somewhat psychological boast against their state of poverty and material lack. And apart from these reasons, they have no other reasons for desiring Christ, following his ways and even abiding by his teaching.
It seems that the desire for Christ as found in Herod’s model is prevalent in our society today. This portends a great danger to our faith. As the first reading will say, it is vanity of vanity, all is vanity.
If Jesus has become a tool for us to gain material possession, powers and prestige and does not go beyond this ephemeral, then it is all vanity. It leads to nowhere. It is misplaced. Our curiosity, efforts, struggles, and striving will end in vanity.
But why lead a life of vanity, a meaningless life, a valueless life and a life that leads to nowhere. For indeed, our striving on earth, our toil on this earth, our enjoyments, our buildings, cars, children and all earthly possession are turned into nothingness and vanity. Our struggles, waking early and going late to sleep, our headaches, efforts in life and everything will come to vanity when we have Herod’s model of curiosity for Christ.
But when we actually begin to nurse, desire and follow Jesus for the right reasons, we gain life, the promises of God, and eternal life. Our curiosity for Christ, our striving and struggles will be bountifully rewarded with life eternal with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We need therefore to purify our desire and curiosity for Christ. We need to remodel our struggles and striving for Christ. We need to seek Christ and follow him for the right reasons. We need to be converted, experience true conversion of heart, and begin to live a detached life, that focuses on God and eternal values in Christ. We need to imbibe the godly virtues that Jesus teaches and brings to our awareness and that leads to life.
In purifying our desire for Christ, our curiosity for Christ, and modeling our struggles and striving for the right reasons of gaining eternal life, we must eschew selfish ideas, and follow Christ in his teachings without picking and choosing what we want. Rather, we must listen to the voice of Christ echoed by the Church and abide by the church’s teachings.
God our Father, your son Jesus Christ came to redeem us from the vanity of worldly encumbrances, may we understand and walk along with the right intention as his disciples. We ask, you Father to Purify our intentions for seeking and following Jesus in our lives. May we seek him for increased knowledge of you our God, for growth in virtues, for strength to do your will, for good moral life and for eternal life at the end, through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
