Wednesday of the 10th week in the ordinary time of the year A

Theme: The greatest in the kingdom

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus gives us an insight about what truly matters, if we want to be the children of the kingdom of God. We are all encouraged by Jesus himself in today’s gospel to make honest and sincere effort to put into practice the commandments of God. This stems from the fact that our ability to keep the commandments of God, will help us to be children of the kingdom at the end of our earthly journey. It is left for us to do all within our power to practice the commandments of God in our daily lives. It is never too late for us to make a firm resolution today to begin to practice the commandments of God in our daily lives.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus also makes it explicitly clear that all those who keep the commandments of God and teach others to do the same, will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. While those who do not keep the commandments of God and teach others not to practice it, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. By implication, Jesus is simply encouraging us to teach what is presented to us in the scriptures the way it is, and not add anything for our personal gain or manipulation of others.

This brings us to an important aspect of our lives as we worship God. It is important that as we talk about the scriptures, we should be mindful of the interpretation that we give to other people. Our interpretations should not be influenced by our personal interest or gains, lest we may be leading people astray, instead of helping them to attain the kingdom of heaven at the end of their life on earth. The assertion of Jesus was very clear about this in the gospel reading of today. We are all encouraged to keep the commandments of God and help others to do the same thing. We are all children of God, so we must sincerely support each other in our journey of faith.

Dear friends in Christ, one of our main goals in life is to make heaven at the end of our earthly pilgrimage. So, let us continue to make honest and sincere effort to live a life that is good and always pleasing to God. May almighty God bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.

Wednesday of the 10th week in the ordinary time year A, by Fr. Jude Ifeanyi Ifezime, C.S.Sp