DAILY HOMILIES

The irony of life is that while we look down on what is ours, others value it more. While many were struggling to believe in Jesus, a Centurion; that is, a Roman Soldier in charge of a hundred soldiers had enough faith to see that Jesus is God; that He only needs to speak the word and the whole world would obey.

While today’s first reading contains a very sad tale of King’s Nebuchadnezzar’s capture of Jerusalem, our Gospel passage presents us with a comforting story of the mercy and love of God in the healing of the leper. This seeming contradiction is beautifully summed up by the leper’s plea: “If you will (if you want to), you can make me clean.”

The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel passage are quite blunt and direct. It is not all those who call on the name of God or identify as Christians that would behold the blessedness of heaven.

Today is June 24. It is now six months before Christmas. Today, we are celebrating the birthday of the one of whom the Angel Gabriel spoke when he said: “Your kinswoman, Elizabeth, the one whom people call barren is now in her sixth month for with God, nothing will be impossible.” We celebrate the birth of John the Baptist not just because it was a miracle, but it also marked the beginning of God’s plan for the redemption of man.

When faced with threats from enemies of the faith, let us learn to surrender completely to God. Hezekiah, like Jeremiah, simply went down on their knees to pray. “Lord, you test the mind and heart, let me see your vengeance against them for to you have I committed my cause.” (Jeremiah 20:12).

Why do I notice the speck in my neighbour’s eye but do not notice the log in my own eye? Simple answer: I can’t see the log. Isn’t the log bigger than the speck? The truth is that I have an ego that likes to think of itself as perfect.

Jesus feels compassion because He has a heart that is gentle and lowly. It gets even better, apart from merely feeling for us, Jesus is always ready with a solution. Like in the feeding of the multitudes, Jesus is not a person who simply says “sorry” and walks away. Jesus sent out the twelve and when they returned with Good News, Jesus was overjoyed.

Today, Jesus teaches us that it is not the number of words we use that moves God but the love that God already has for us. Every single word we utter in prayer carries weight. Think of prayer as a conversation between you and the one who loves you.

“Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1).

God hates evil. God does not tolerate sin. God doesn’t just watch while innocent lives are being crushed by those in power. Nonetheless, God loves the sinner and even when the sinner has to suffer the consequences of their wrong choices, God never stops loving him or her.