DAILY HOMILIES

Humility is giving God reverence; it is coming to terms with our nothingness before God, our creator. Humility is channelling the praises we often receive from others to God as the source of our talents, our riches, and, in fact, everything good in our lives. It is ensuring that we do not take the glory that rightfully belongs to God. Humility is being able to give God thanks from the very depths of our hearts, not grudgingly, as though we are being forced.

Why would God give others more talents than me? We do not all have equal opportunities, but we all have equal abilities to make the best of our unique opportunities. God gives to each according to their ability. Some people are more fortunate than others, but just as our abilities differ, so do our problems. Avoid envy; no one is better than you. Avoid pride; you are not better than anyone else. We are just different.

Let us learn to practice self-control. Herod was not thinking straight when he promised even half his kingdom to a little girl. What if she had asked for his head? Think before you speak. Be a master of your emotions. In moments of anger, hold it. In moments of excitement, keep it also. Develop the habit of speaking to God and listening to Him before speaking. Avoid making promises. Remember, seeking God’s guidance in all our actions can bring us peace and clarity.

The best way to stay vigilant is to keep busy. Just as a good security officer never sleeps while on duty, being watchful requires keeping our hearts engaged. If we are not busy, we will soon find ourselves sleeping, allowing the enemy to sow bad seeds in us (Cf. Matthew 13:25ff). The consequence of being unprepared for the end in Jesus’ words is this: “The Master will… punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.”

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus likened the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, beautiful from the outside but full of dead men’s bones inside. Jesus also condemned the fact that the Scribes and Pharisees had a practice of adorning the tombs of the prophets (who were killed for speaking the truth) to exonerate themselves from the crimes of their ancestors.

Paying one’s tithe is not a sin, but it should never be done out of fear. God’s blessings are not reserved for tithers only. Jesus mentioned the washing of the outside of cups and dishes, while inside their hearts were full of extortion and rapacity (the violent seizure and carrying off of another’s property; plunder). When the preacher is only interested in what he can get from the people (the inside), his words (the outside) cannot be clean.

Many of us (preachers) attempt to deceive people by pretending to be holy, but we are not. We are like David, who was quick to condemn the man in Nathan’s fable, or like the men who brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus. We assume the moral high ground and we quickly pick stones against government officials, tax collectors, so-called sinners, but as Jesus would say, “Let him who has not sinned be the first to cast a stone.” When we honestly look inwards, we realise that even though we stand on the pulpit to preach, we are worse than our audience.

The simple truth is that even though many of us are frequent at Holy Communion, we have no real connection with God. At the gate of heaven, God will deny knowing us because we refused to take our hands off evil. We tried eating our cake and having it; we thought we could serve two masters. We pretended to be good externally, but we soaked ourselves in sin in secret. On the last day, it is those things we did secretly that will count.

Jesus is not against the use of titles. No. Jesus is against answering a name that your actions contradict. Don’t call me Father if I am not behaving like one. I don’t deserve such titles if I do not practice what I preach. Jesus is against the worship of human beings. If I do what is wrong, be bold enough to call and correct me. Do not say: “Leave him alone. He is next to God.” Jesus says: “Call no man on earth your God. You have only one God who is in heaven!”

Love is empty if it doesn’t require anything from you. True love requires sacrificing for others, especially for the old. Just as loving God demands our wholehearted worship, loving our neighbours also demands sacrifice on our part.

During the marriage feast, the King discovered there was one who came into the feast without a wedding garment. Not only was this man bound hand and foot, but he was also cast into the outer darkness, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Just as no one forced Jephthah to make a vow, no one forced this man into the marriage feast. He came on his own. He was supposed to do just one thing: put on a wedding garment like all the others who were invited freely. But in the end, he got what he deserved.

When Jesus mentioned the rewards, the disciples felt relief. However, Jesus narrated the Parable of the Landowner to teach them a fundamental lesson: when receiving rewards, avoid comparing yourself with others. Like the workers recruited for work in the vineyard at different times, we are not all gifted the same way; we were not all born on the same day, and we did not come to know God on the same day. However, after our labour, we shall all receive exactly what we deserve.