DAILY HOMILIES

Like the labourers who were standing idle in the market place all day, we may have spent our entire lives in sin but as the prophet Ezekiel makes us understand today, it is our present, not our past that matters to God.

Even today, I still come across many youths who engage in all sorts of immoral activities thinking they have all the time in the world to repent later on. One, no one is guaranteed time as we not know when we shall die. Secondly, even if it is true that you have time, do not forget that bad habits do not die easily.

There is great wisdom in knowing that Life happens in stages and in seasons. There is a particular time for everything; birth time and death time, morning time and evening time; mourning time and rejoicing time; planting time and reaping time. Nothing lasts forever.

“Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” First, what exactly is vanity? Have you ever looked through your wardrobe only to discover you have clothes you haven’t worn for over a year and yet you still feel the need to keep them? That is one example of vanity.

By asking them to “take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics,” (Luke 9:3) Jesus was basically teaching them or rather giving them the power of contentment. Show me a minister who lacks this virtue and I will sure you one who would soon turn the worship of God into the worship of mammon

You may have a thousand reasons for not helping someone or even anybody at all but if you can verify that one is truly in need of help and you are capable of helping, please do not allow the negative experiences of fraudsters (agents of darkness) prevent you from rendering help.

Through eating and drinking, Jesus brought conversion to Zacchaeus as well as his friends and relatives. This stomach strategy also worked excellently in the case of Matthew whose Feast we celebrate today

Last Sunday, Jesus told us to forgive without counting, this Sunday, Jesus tells us He too is willing to forgive and welcome the sinner even at the eleventh hour. God never asks us for something He Himself is not willing to give. No matter what your past has been, you too can enjoy the bliss of heaven with all the Saints. Just say ‘Yes’ and agree to work in His Vineyard today.

As of now, we cannot yet understand how exactly we shall be when we rise from the dead. That should not be our concern. All we need now is to believe that just as Christ rose from the dead taking upon Himself a glorious body, we too shall certainly follow Him into the many mansions He has prepared for us. Of course, this would only happen when we pattern our lives according to God’s Words.

The fact that the names of the twelve apostles are known is not to say they were more important than the women or men who worked in the background. In the same way, it would be wrong to assume that the work of a priest is more important than the work of a catechist, a seminarian or even a professed religious.

As much as many of the Pharisees hated Jesus, Jesus loved them perfectly. True love is not being kind only to those who love you (trade by barter), true love is being able to eat even in the house of your enemy; the house of someone you know is planning to kill you.

Amongst the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, one which we often take for granted is the gift of Love. People tend to look at those who speak in tongues as very holy people. A lot of respect is given to those who have the gift of preaching and those who have the gift of healing; they are seen as demi-gods. But as St. Paul makes us understand in today’s first reading, the greatest gift is Love.