HOMILY OF SATURDAY IN THE 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
Deuteronomy 6:4-13, Matthew 17:14-20
THEME: THE DANGER OF PUTTING OUR TRUST IN A PRIEST
A priest represents God and not himself. Those who put their trust in a priest will surely be disappointed one time or the other, because there will be a time when the priest cannot satisfy their demands, because he himself is human with his limitations.
It is worse for those who choose priests based on race, color, or tribe. Spiritual growth will be limited. True connection with God transcends such superficial divisions, fostering a deeper and more profound relationship with the divine. If our faith does not go beyond a priest, to God who they represent, we are on the journey of daily and constant disappointment.
The man who brought the case of his lunatic son to Jesus, said, “I took him to your disciples, and they were unable to cure him.” Possibly, if his faith stops at the disciples, his hope would have been dashed. To him, the Lord replied, ‘Faithless and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And when Jesus rebuked the spirit, the devil came out of the boy and he was cured from that moment.
It is high time we begin to see more of Christ in our Priests. Let us pray that our Priests will always strive to be perfect representatives of Jesus.
May our faith grow to the extent of drawing direct strength from Jesus. Amen.
