DAILY HOMILIES #cross

We celebrate the Cross of Jesus Christ today and the various crosses we bear as Christians. In the Beatitudes, Jesus told us to “rejoice and be glad” when we are persecuted, insulted, excluded, oppressed or denied our rights for His Sake. This is what we are doing today – rejoicing in our sufferings, knowing that for every pain we endure, a crown awaits us in heaven.

Thank God for your enemies. Always wish them well. Enemies are blessings in disguise; they help to bring out the best in us. Enemies remind us to be careful and prayerful. Enemies serve as road signs, speed bumps, and other safety signals that prevent us from road accidents. Enemies are like hot water that helps to cook the food. Do you wish to get to the top or see your dreams come true? Pray to have enough enemies to challenge you.

To be wise spiritually is to trust little in your wealth, current status, education, connections, and devotional practices. To be wise is to have a backup, something extra, to hold on to should everything else fail. To be wise, you have to have some extra oil.

Jesus is inviting us to invest in eternity and live in such a manner as to be worthy of heaven after our death. If you do not attain heaven, everything else is useless. Regardless of one’s length of days or riches attained, without heaven, one has only lived a wasted life. Go to the graveyard; you will observe that you cannot tell the difference between those who lived in affluence and those who barely survived. What truly matters is where we spend eternity; it is neither how much we gather nor how much we leave for our children. To die in a state of disconnect with God is the worst kind of death.

Spiritual creativity is not a luxury; it is the essence of our faith. Either I am winning for Jesus or betraying (denying) him. I can only imagine Jesus's pain, knowing that those who shared the same plate with him would betray him. Nevertheless, Jesus said: “Woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Has my love for the world made me a sterile Christian? What things must die so I can bear the right fruits? Could it be my desire for comfort or pleasure? The book of Hebrews teaches: “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4).

God who made you without your cooperation will not save you without your cooperation. God will never force His way on us. It will always be up to us to decide what becomes of us through our daily choices.

Just as Jesus was hated by so many, anyone who wants to follow Christ’s footsteps should prepare to have a lot of enemies. If you are a people-pleaser, you would end up trying to please the devil and, thereby, compromise your Christian values. Love your neighbour as yourself, but at the same time, don’t be afraid of losing friends who want you to disobey God.

“It is harder to watch the pains of those we love than to bear our pains.” Mary stood beside her son in his moments of agony, scourging at the pillar and carrying on the cross and crucifixion. She remained even while his close friends, the disciples, fled for their dear lives.

Just as a tree was the source of humanity's downfall in the Garden of Eden, a tree (the cross) was the object upon which Christ redeemed humanity. When Jesus carried the cross, he corrected the mistake of Adam. The tree, a symbol of death for Adam, has now become a symbol of life for humanity.

Let’s face it: though we live in the world, we do not belong to this world, and the world hates us. (John 15:18-19) If you have not been experiencing this hatred (if you have never suffered anything for the sake of God), it is because you have been compromising your Christian values. As the saying goes: “If the devil is not fighting you, it is because you have been working for him.” Do not be conformed to this world.

Carrying the cross entails embracing the difficult aspects of our Christian faith, such as: loving our enemies, forgiving hurts easily, and upholding strong moral values such as faithfulness to one’s marital vows, purity of heart, honesty, kindness, etc. In a world that further immerses itself in darkness, keeping God’s commandments faithfully is a huge cross. Nevertheless, this is our calling.