DAILY HOMILIES #Bible

Jesus did not say, “All those who come to gather around me are my sheep.” Instead, He says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” These three qualities distinguish the sheep of Christ: First, the sheep must hear the voice of Christ. How often do you read the Bible and meditate on it? Secondly, when Christ says “I know them,” no one can pretend to be his sheep; you are either with Christ or with another shepherd. Thirdly, Jesus says, “They follow me,” which means they behave like me. The sheep of Christ are Christ in the world.

The Ethiopian Eunuch must have prayed for insight, and God sent Philip to him. When Philip asked if he understood his reading, the eunuch was humble enough to admit: “How can I unless someone guides me?” This story teaches us that the Bible alone is not enough. The Bible is just one leg of a tripod; the other two are Sacred Tradition (which existed before the compilation of the Bible) and the Magisterium (the church’s teaching authority). The Bible contains God’s word, yet without the other legs of the tripod, we cannot fully benefit from it.

Two Sundays ago, we celebrated the first mystery of light (the Baptism of Jesus), and last Sunday, we celebrated the second mystery (the self-revelation at the Wedding Feast at Cana). From today until we enter the season of Lent, we will be celebrating the third mystery of light—Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the call to conversion. In each of these mysteries, we are being enlightened and given more light into Jesus’ true identity as God in the midst of men.

Jesus asked the two blind men: “Do you believe I can do this?” Whenever you go on your knees to pray, picture God asking you this question, and please answer it sincerely. Was this question necessary? Jesus needed to ask them because the truth is that not all those who cry and shout in prayer have faith. Not all those who say “Lord, Lord” will enter God’s kingdom.

The spirit of competition is wired into our being; we want to be the greatest among our peers, classmates, siblings, fellow employees, business associates, etc. While this could motivate us to take necessary steps that bring about positive growth, it also has negative side effects.

Life is all about connection. No human being can survive entirely on their own. No one is an island. Just as we need to remain connected to Jesus to stay alive spiritually, we also need to be connected to our fellow human beings to remain alive.

There is more to the Bible than meets the eye. Taking the printed text at face value could confuse you, like the crowds in today’s Gospel passage. The Ethiopian Eunuch must have prayed for insight, and God sent Philip to him. When Philip asked if he understood his reading, the Eunuch was humble enough to admit, “How can I unless someone guides me?”

Our first reading today comes from the Book of Prophet Hosea. God instructed Hosea to marry a harlot to demonstrate the idolatrous practices of the Israelite nation. Just as a harlot leaves her husband for other men, we cheat on God when we serve other gods (such as money, power, pleasure, etc.)

Do you have a Bible? Do you really know how powerful it is? When last did you devote some hours of your day to reading and meditating on God’s word? Could it be that you really do not have the time for God’s word? The truth is that you always have time for anything you consider to be important to you. The word of God is more important than riches, fame, comfort, or anything you can think of. The word of God is life.

The letter to the Hebrews, in drawing our attention to the importance of God’s words, says: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden…” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Only one thing is needed: Faith. Mary has chosen the good portion; to sit at Jesus’ feet in prayer and adoration, to listen carefully to Jesus’ words by meditating on the Bible, to trust deeply that in the midst of the chaos, we can afford to sit still with Jesus.

We should never read the Bible just like any other piece of literature. We must first ask God to open our hearts before we begin to flip through the pages of the Bible. That way, the meaning becomes clear to us. We see things that others cannot see and we hear things that others will never hear.