DAILY HOMILIES #humility

Winning souls for God (evangelization) is a dangerous business; it is breaking out souls held captive by Satan, who does everything within his power to resist. However, we must never be afraid of whatever Satan throws at us because “even the hairs on our head are numbered.” As missionaries, we are valuable to God and enjoy divine protection. We need not fear those who can only kill the body.

In John the Baptist, we learn that no human life comes into existence randomly. God does the selection, arrangement, and planning. We existed in God’s mind even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 says: “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.”

In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Jesus did not say, “Blessed are the timid.” There is a difference between meekness (humility) and timidity (being frightened). It is one thing to be humble, but a different thing to become afraid of the devil or ashamed of God.

Do not envy anyone because of the position they occupy because, in the end, all flesh is grass. The king and the servant have the same fate. On the other hand, do not base your worth on your position; you don’t have to lord it over anybody to feel respected.

Whenever you make any promise or plan to do anything, be humble enough to add “by the grace of God” or “If God permits.” In Psalm 20:7-8, we read: “Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our God. They will collapse, but we shall rise and stand upright.” If you must boast about anything, boast of the name of God.

The devil will never tempt you with something you don’t want. Hence, we cannot completely blame the devil for our fall. For instance, Adam and Eve fell because they wanted to be like God. The devil exploits our desires (whether good or bad) by offering shortcuts.

Today, we celebrate the fact that Mary intercedes for Africa. When Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph took shelter in Africa. At a time when our continent is faced with turmoil and suffering under the yoke of neo-colonialism, we need Mother Mary’s intercession more than ever.

One shining virtue we should all have is humility. Without it, we cannot learn from others or grow. We should never do anything to attract praise or exaltation to ourselves; let us allow God himself to exalt us.

Good Friday shows God understands our pains. He knows what it feels like to love and be rejected, to be betrayed, angry, hungry, insulted, dissatisfied, sick, weak, or sorrowful. Good Friday teaches us that Jesus once felt whatever you were going through today.

During the Easter Triduum, we go beyond retelling the stories of salvation to “re-creating” these events to deepen our reflection of what happened during those last days of Christ walking the face of the earth. Hence, our celebrations are marked with a lot of symbolism and deep historical relevance

Someone once said that even if Jesus Christ came again, we would kill him a second time. This is because, despite changing times, human beings have always remained the same. As we reflect on the major characters in the Passion Narrative, let us observe how we mirror them so that we can subsequently make the needed changes.

A simple way to understand infallibility is to reflect on the incarnation. While Jesus remained God, He humbled himself to the point of taking our weak human nature. In the same way, while Jesus remains the owner and builder of the church, He is incarnated in the person of the Pope.