11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

MISERICORDIA FOR LIFE (A Ministry of the Word of God)

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

We Belong, We Work, to Please the LORD       

by Fr Anthony Uche

Music: Amazing Grace Licensed: Envato Elements Pty Ltd

St Margaret of Scotland RC Carshalton Beeches.

 

AI Summary

Glory, glory, glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Welcome, my brothers and sisters, to what is the message of the Lord. We thank the Lord for granting us a new Sunday. We are reflecting on the readings for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. The first reading will be taken from the prophet Ezekiel 17, 22-24. Our psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 92. The Second reading will be taken from St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.

My brothers, my sisters, the first reading's allegorical passage from the prophet Ezekiel, the second reading's metaphorical verses from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, and St. Mark's gospel account remind us of God's kingdom and why we must be partakers of that kingdom if we are not. Having been evangelized and catechized, we can all testify as a community of faith that our Lord Jesus has undone and is undoing the enemy's work in our world today. He has planted and continues to nurture God's kingdom here on earth through the salvific actions of the church.

Furthermore, our Lord has made us God's people and constantly offers us the necessary graces to flourish and bear fruits that will last and lead us to his heavenly kingdom. Having witnessed its enduring character, my brothers and sisters, we can also say without hesitation that our Lord's kingdom revealed in his pilgrim church where God's will is being done daily is God's everlasting establishment monitored and nurtured by him. Hence, we can rest assured that there is no wrong in him, our Lord himself. He is ever faithful. He is our constant ally. His power is permanent, and our alliance with the Lord will surpass our moments of pain, our moments of trouble, and our confused moments. Our partnership with the Lord will surely overcome those moments of hardship.

And so, based on that confidence in the Lord, if we are intent on pleasing Him, giving Him thanks at this hour, rising from that failure, healing the broken hearts of our loved ones if we are intent on rejecting our bad habits, injecting a positive vibe in our families and communities, and if we are intent on proclaiming and blessing constantly the goodness of the Lord, then we must not just be passive observers. We must actively renew our agreement with the Lord, plant with Him, nurture our gifts, and transform lives with Him. We are not just recipients of God's grace but active participants in His kingdom. Those are citizens of God's kingdom and co-workers in God's church.

We have work to do. We are not just workers but messengers, stewards, and servants of God. Our work is not just a job but a mission; no one is too young to partake in that mission. And so, whatever mission we undertake for the good of our families, communities, and friends must be centred on Christ, for He alone guarantees our successes and transforms our failures.

Therefore, in the face of opposition, headaches, and troubles in our world, my brothers and sisters must remain faithful to God's work and steadfast in prayer. If you are a parent, remain faithful. If you are a husband, remain faithful. A wife, remain faithful. If you are a leader, remain faithful to your citizens. Remain faithful to the one who sent you and those who elected you. If you are a minister, please, we must remain faithful to our promises and vows to the Lord. And the Lord, in his infinite mercy, will always come to perfect the work of our hands. May the name of the Lord be praised now and forevermore.

Our Lady, Sister of Wisdom, pray for us. Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.