The Need For The Innocent Ones

 Reflection on Today's Readings and the Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Monday of 13th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, June 28th, 2021
Texts: Gen. 18:16-33; Ps. 103:1-4.8-11; Mtt. 8:18-22
Today's account of the life of Abraham shows that the revelation of God's will to us comes with responsibility. God revealed His plan to Abraham because Abraham had been chosen to be one through whom all nations would be blessed and to teach his children and household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. Just like Abraham, we are chosen people to be salt of the earth and and light of the world; we are to make the disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all things Jesus has commanded us.
After God had revealed His plan to him, he responded by making intercession for the people. In Jesus Christ, God has revealed to us His will for the salvation of the world.  It is our responsibility to make intercession for the world; it is our responsibility to make intercession for our nation. We are to pray for the salvation of the world and our nation. We see in the reading how patient God was with Abraham. God is always ready to hear us and listen to us.
What God needs to save Sodom and Gomorrah was to find some innocents in them. We may ask ourselves: 'If God is looking for one innocent to save our nation, am I going to be the innocent one?' As the chosen one of God, what have I been doing to ensure that we have innocent ones in our society so as to win the favour of God. We are to teach the people of our generation to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. God is looking for the innocent ones through whom our nation will be blessed; God is looking for innocent ones because of whom He will save the world. Our world is deteriorating because we do not have enough innocent people.
Jesus Christ, in today's gospel reading, reminds us that to follow Him we must be ready to give up the desire for comfort; we must be ready to inconvenient ourselves. In following Jesus Christ we should not hope for material or earthly gain. Here on earth we have nowhere to lay our head, no place of rest for us. Our place of rest is heaven. Hence, He says, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”  Following Jesus Christ also requires detachment from any relationship that can cause distraction. We need to stay away from any relationship that can jeopardise our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our business is to follow him everyday; there is no time out. We are to follow Him in and out of season. Hence, He told the disciple thus: “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Lord Jesus Christ, grant us Your help to keep Your way by doing righteousness and justice that the world may be saved through us. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke