ENDURING BITTER CRITICISM
Reading 1 Is 58:9b-14
Thus says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined homesteads.”
If you hold back your foot on the Sabbath
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the Sabbath a delight,
and the LORD’s holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Gospel Lk 5:27-32
Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
On Thursday I went to see a Nigerian priest working in a nearby parish. While we are at table, he narrated his recent ordeal with me and I felt really sad.
He invited a man and a woman whom he knew to be living together without blessing their union and have been receiving Holy Communion. He encouraged them to try and take urgent steps to bless their union and that according to the teachings of the Church they are supposed to refrain from communion till this is done.
In the evening of the same day while he was preparing for evening mass, they came with other members of their family to insult, warn and embarrass him and even threatened to report him to the Pope. Since that day, he has been getting series of texts, emails, letters and anonymous calls castigating him and threatening his life.
The whole episodes really shook him and made him question a whole lot of things.
Many people have lost their self esteem, many are confused and discouraged and a lot have lost joy and fulfillment in what they do because of unfair criticism especially for doing or saying what they know to be right.
Today’s gospel is a consolation and encouragement for anyone going through this kind of experience.
Jesus himself was uncharitably criticized, the so-called pious people of his time wrote petitions against him for dining with sinners. They protested against his wisdom and sanctity. Whereas history has proven Jesus right to have called Levi and dinned with him.
If Jesus who is wisdom incarnate didn’t escape misrepresentation, bitter criticism and crude antagonism, who then am I that I will be immune from such?
The first reading tells us- if we can just make effort to please God principally, we shall find happiness and triumph. I just wish I can turn this to a song and sing it to myself daily and everyone who feels emotionally down because of people’s judgment.
We pray at this mass, that Jesus will en-courage us when we battle with the pains and discouragement of uncharitable criticism and antagonism that arises when we tell the truth, make a right decision or pronouncement that some people may find unfavourable.
Photo credit: www.bigisthenewsmall.com
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on March 9, 2019.