A call to maturity in faith

Homily of friday of the 9th week in ordinary time year A. 5th June, 2026-By Rev. Fr. Achilleus Ile Adole CSSp.
(St. Boniface - Memorial)
1st reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17Responsorial: Psalm 118:157,160-161,165-166,168Gospel: Mark 12:35-37
Theme: A call to maturity in faith
In our reflection today, Let us to focus on the first reading because it captures one major challenge in the life of every christian, which is the battle of good and evil in our thoughts.
As a christian, at times it seems like it pays more to do evil than to do good because we see those who do good not progressing in life, while those who do evil appear to always thrive even in their evil activities. This reality initiates the conflict of thoughts in us concerning what path we should follow as a christian.
In the first reading, Saint Paul talks about his challenges in the course of his ministry highlighting his sufferings and persecutions, the many times he was imprisoned, and also how he remained steadfast in his faith and mission. This clearly shows us that every christian would face tribulations and difficult challenges on his journey of faith.
However, these challenges we encounter on our journey of faith does not mean that we are abandoned by God, but we should see it as an opportunity and a need to demonstrate the maturity of our faith by remaining steadfast no matter the challenge we face.
The challenges we face at the moment should never make us think that those who choose the path of evil are doing better than us. We should not allow temporalities to destroy our hope of eternal rewards.
Like Saint Paul said, "... Indeed all who desire to live godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted...." In line with this, Saint Boniface whom we celebrate today accepted to face the challenge of leaving his home in England to Germany where he preached the goodness and was later martyred. In all ramifications, Boniface showed a mature faith, he lived and died by it, and he is glorified today as one of the saints.
We too must be ready to face every challenge that comes with our call as christians. We must know that we are not christians because we want to run away from challenges of life, rather we are christians because we love and are ready to bear witness to his love on earth through our lives.
Let us pray that God may grant us the grace of steadfastness in the face of challenges that we may remain faithful to the end of our earthly journey and gain admittance to the heavenly kingdom, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Peace be with you all