Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2, 2024
Reflection by Fr. Collins Akhigbe, OP
Scriptural passages
1st reading Jer. 26:1-9. Psalm 69. Gospel Mt. 13:54-58.
Theme: Call to Conversion
“Thus says the Lord, stand in the court of the house of the Lord and speak to the inhabitants of all the cities of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord; whatever I command you, tell them, and hold nothing back. Perhaps they will listen and turn, all of them from their evil way, so that I may repent of the evil I plan to inflict upon them for their evil deeds” (Jer. 26:2-3). The Lord is calling his people Israel to embrace repentance and conversion, but instead they turned against Jeremiah, the prophet of God. In the gospel reading, after preaching to his people he grew up with in Nazareth, Christ was also rejected. The rejection of the prophet Jeremiah and Jesus Christ is a sure sign that the people truly need to repent and embrace conversion. Today, so many of us are behaving like the people of Israel. We have rejected the Gospel of Christ in different ways and forms. We need to embrace repentance and conversion. One way or the other, many of us have rejected Jesus and his message because of the love of this passing world. A good number of us have not loved Jesus as we ought to love him. In other words, many of us have not made Jesus Christ our number one. There is so much hypocrisy and duplicity in our Christianity. We truly need to change our ways and embrace conversion. In this reflection, we shall highlight why we should embrace conversion and how to go about it.
Why we should embrace conversion
First, we should embrace conversion because we are sinners through and through. The scripture tells us, all have sinned and cut short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
Second, we should embrace conversion because we cannot claim to be God’s children while we swim in the ocean of sin. The scripture has this to say, look at the love the Lord has for us by letting us be called God’s children and that is what we are (1 Jn. 3:2). In other words, we should embrace conversion because of who we are.
Third, we should embrace conversion because this is the will of God for each one of us (Jer. 26:2-4). The Lord desires our repentance and conversion. The Lord does not want anyone to perish.
Fourth, we should embrace conversion because of our mission of evangelization. We cannot effectively proclaim the kingdom of God without living a life of holiness and conversion. Our mission will be affected negatively if we remain in sinful habits. As long as we live a life of hypocrisy and duplicity, the mission will suffer a setback.
Fifth, we should embrace conversion because of the four last things, namely, death, judgment, heaven and hell. Whether we like it or not, we shall die one day. We should prepare for that day. The scripture tells us, it is appointed unto a man to die once, after which is judgment (Heb. 9:27).
How to embrace conversion
First, the journey of conversion begins with the Holy Spirit, who softens the hearts of men and women. The story of the prodigal son is very instructive here (Lk. 15:11-31). The scripture says, he came to his senses and thought, how many of my Father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here I am dying from hunger (Lk. 15:17). We should therefore pray for our loved ones who have gone astray, that the Holy Spirit should touch their hearts and bring them back to their senses.
Second, to embrace conversion, we should be sorrowful for our misdeeds and sinful habits. When Jonah proclaimed the word of God to the Ninevites, they became sorrowful and turned away from sin. They declared fasting and penance because of remorse for their sins.(Jonah 3:1-10).
Third, we can also embrace conversion by going for confession before a priest or to an individual whom you have offended and seek reconciliation. The Master gave us the sacrament of confession (Jn. 20:23). We should reconcile with God and with one another.
Fourth, we should make a firm resolution not to sin again. It is not enough to go to confession, there should be an action plan. This is a spiritual plan that enables us to stay away from every occasion of sin and devote more time for prayer and the worship of God. The scripture tells us not to stay away from the gathering of believers (Heb. 10:25). As part of your plan, you can decide that you will have a spiritual director and a mentor to guide you.
Fifth, develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Master told us, I am the vine, and you are the branches cut off from me, you can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is critical in sustaining our faith. The more we have a relationship with Jesus, the more we are capable of overcoming sinful habits.
Sixth, meditate on the word of God daily or regularly. This is very important for spiritual growth and progress. The scripture tells us that the word of God is a lamp for our feet (Psalm 119:105). The more we study the scriptures, the more we grow in wisdom and understanding. This ultimately will lead us to victory over sin. These are some of the ways we can embrace conversion.
Prayers
Lord, help us to turn away from sinful habits. Lord, deliver us from hypocrisy and duplicity. Lord, help us to love you above all things. Lord, give us the grace of understanding and wisdom. Lord, please sustain us till the very end. Amen. I wish you a glorious day.
With lots of prayers and love.
