DAILY HOMILIES #hatred

Just as one cannot walk far in the night when it is dark, we cannot go far in life with hatred in our hearts. The person you hate right now may be your saving grace tomorrow. Hatred is a sign of unforgiveness and a betrayal of our Christian faith.

Hatred is deadly. The feeling of hatred makes you blind to the good in others. Hatred makes you criticize everything in everybody. Hatred takes away your happiness. The scribes and Pharisees could not rejoice at the healing of the man with a withered hand instead they started plotting to kill Jesus. Hatred literally turns us into little devils.

Step 1: Go to the person who has hurt you and discuss ONE on ONE with him or her. (Matthew 18:15). Avoid having to tell others without first, this is gossiping and it damages the image of the one who has offended you.

As the Prophet Isaiah mentions in our first reading, God has called us to righteousness and we are the light to the nations. To succeed in this special calling, we must be willing to give our very best to God, be content with what we have and remove hatred from our hearts.

Repentance brings healing. Repentance is saying “No” to the devil so as to allow God to come into your life and where God is, sickness, disease, stagnation, demonic possession etc. cannot remain.

Hatred against another is like poison in our body system. This poison, like venom, destroys others but more importantly, it damages us by extinguishing the light of God in our hearts. To hate a person is to open your heart for the devil’s manipulation.