Homily on the Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 8: 5-15.
In today’s Gospel, our Lord and Saviour tells us the parable of the sower. In this parable, Christ talks about a sower who scatters seed in various locations. It is clear from the outset that our Lord and Saviour is making it plain for all that different people will respond to His Gospel of love in different ways! For instance, there are those who will accept Christ’s message only when and if it appeals to them! There are also those who hear and believe but the cares of the world get in the way and they do not bear fruit! Finally, there are those who hear and believe and do all in their power to spread the Gospel of love - these bear much fruit these being the saints of God!
Whilst we are called to be like the ones that hear and bear much fruit - how do we achieve this? Our faith in many ways is a great journey in which we not only do Christ’s bidding but also, we work out our salvation with ‘fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2: 12-13). Well simply put, we must always through prayer, discernment and good works patiently bring others to Christ. It is important not to lose heart in this great endeavor - we are called to be lights to the world and lights that shine brightly because of our faith and deeds! Whilst trying to bring others to Christ in our current day and age can be difficult; as many people have lost any kind of faith in The All-Holy Trinity! However, we are called as Christians to patiently explain the faith to the little ones who most need it - this is a task that requires us above all to be loving, kind and humble! Let us be honest here - nothing puts people off than a person who appears ‘holier than thou’. Remember all of the Saints were extremely humble and often it was this deep humility that drew people to them which allowed them to impart Christ’s message of love. Also, think of it in this way - does a beekeeper attract bees with vinegar or does he attract them with sweet things like beautiful flowers with ample supplies of pollen? Finally,
let us ask the All-Holy Trinity that we will imitate the great Saints so that we too may bear fruit! Let us also be kind to ourselves for whilst sin is a reality that affects us all - let us realise that in Christ and the Holy Mysteries He established in His Church we have the remedy our souls require! If we come to Christ in humility and partake of the Holy Mysteries of the Eucharist and confession our souls will be healed and Christ will come under the roofs of our souls (Matthew 8:8). Finally, if we have that same faith and humility shown by the Roman Centurion then we will most certainly grow closer to Christ but also enter into a perfect communion with Him.
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