DAILY HOMILIES #fish

Jonah’s experience, how his ship almost sank, and how he had to spend three days inside the belly of a great fish is a classic example of what we suffer when we live only for ourselves! In the Gospel passage, Jesus teaches us to be kind and generous to everyone regardless of who they are. He offers us a universal definition of neighbour that is not restricted by race, colour, religion, or physical borders.

e remember St. Patrick today, a man who like Peter fully explored his spiritual potential making such a huge catch of souls in Ireland. We are eternally grateful to the Irish missionaries who evangelized our country Nigeria. Through one man St. Patrick, millions have been touched and many more continue to be impacted today.

There is an extent that our pursuit of justice becomes a vice. Sometimes, it is best to shift ground. What will it profit you if you destroy the whole world just to prove you are right? Be like Jesus; allow peace to reign.

If you know a Christian who steals, develop a hatred for stealing yourself. If you know a cleric who is unfaithful to his vows, become the Christian who is faithful to his or her spouse. You cheat yourself if you walk out of the church because of something that Jesus Christ already warned us before now.

We cannot claim to love God if we are not willing to suffer even a single insult on behalf of God. We cannot claim to love God if we are not willing to abandon our dreams of becoming rich and wealthy in life to answer our calling. Of course, not all of us have been called by God to become ministers like Peter and the other apostles but each of us has been called to love God with all our minds, our hearts, and our strength.

When Peter saw a great catch of fish which he was not expecting to see, he knew this was not about fish; that, he had just encountered God. He fell down immediately at the feet of Jesus saying: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Dear friends, we may be successful in business, in academics, in whatever area of life, but if we don’t have Jesus, we are nothing! In fact, God can allow us to fail in these other aspects of life just to draw us to Himself, to show us that He alone is all we need.