Reading 1
Return, rebellious children, says the LORD,
for I am your Master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.
When you multiply and become fruitful in the land,
says the LORD,
They will in those days no longer say,
“The ark of the covenant of the LORD!”
They will no longer think of it, or remember it,
or miss it, or make another.At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD’s throne;
there all nations will be gathered together
tohonourr the name of the LORD at Jerusalem,
and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
The opening word of today’s first reading gives us enough to ponder on.
God says, “Return, O faithless Children…for I am your master. The New Jerusalem Bible says, “Come back, disloyal children. Some other translations say, “Return backsliding children…
God is calling all His children who are disloyal, faithless and who have backslided to come back to Him. Who are those being called by God? Who are the faithless children? Are you and I in this category? A faithless or disloyal child is:
- A believer whose love for God has waxed cold. It has experienced diminishing returns.
This is when you are beginning to neglect private prayers, you are no longer zealous about public worship, you can now miss days without your rosary, give an excuse to be absent at prayer meetings of your pious group and skip masses.
They are the people who say, “before, I used to be..” or “I was once…” We must be reminded that God is interested in whom you are and what you are doing now and not whom you were and what you did in the past. The Lord says, “come back to me” because the farther you are from God, the closer you are to the enemy of your soul.”
- A faithless child is a believer who is beginning to or has lost faith in God. While the first category is usually caused by sloth (spiritual laziness), this second category is usually a reaction.
It is usually caused by impatience with God, anger because God didn’t grant what we prayerfully requested, frustration arising from a situation we detest but God seems not to help us out of it. As a result of this, many have lost interest in prayers and in devotion. Many have lost confidence in God’s power and love. These are those who say, “of what use is my prayers, I have prayed and prayed but then…
The Lord says, “Come back, faithless children…”
- A faithless Child is one who has gradually lost the sense of sin. He/she is in sin but no longer remorseful. One who has fallen into the snares of the devil and is not bothered.
He/she now seeks for satisfaction, pleasure and fulfillment in what is abominable and displeasing to God. What a miserable state of a soul.
The Lord says to you today “come back, you disloyal child.”
- A faithless child is one who has no confidence in God and has turned aside to seek help, protection, support, healing, and blessing from the “Assyrians” (power and forces that are incompatible with the Spirit of God).
We have many in this category in the Church. Practising Catholics who are devout and very active but then there is something of the devil with them. A woman once told me that she was once using “maye’hun” for the husband. The husband never listens to her and was never open to a different opinion, so a friend advised her to take the charm and use it whenever she wants to make her request (Many pastors and contractors are using this).
According to her, she used it for a while until she started feeling guilty and was having nightmares, which she attributed to it.
Dear friends, Jesus is calling all of us to examine ourselves, am I a faithless and disloyal child? Have I backslid?
The Lord is calling you to come back today. Sometimes the Lord calls us to our senses through the hardships we go through. You notice things are just not working for you, sometimes He uses sickness, tragedy, failure, disappointment and painful experiences to call you back.
Today as in the Gospel, He is using this word of God you are listening to, to call you back. Will you listen to these words and allow it to touch your hearts and bring you back to your God or you will be like the hard and rocky soil on which nothing can grow unless it is shattered.
If today you hear his call…
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami of Ilorin Diocese, Kwara State, Nigeria on July 27, 2018