DAILY HOMILIES #Jesus

Just as God expected more from the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, He expects much more from us. If the people who lived in Chorazin in Jesus’ time were to visit the world today, what would they say about our latest technology? We are living in an age of miracles. We have too many signs and wonders to show that God truly loves us, but we take them for granted. How do we show appreciation to God for His uncountable blessings?

Do you want your prayers to be heard? God says, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:16-17). There is no point moving from Church to Church or subjecting yourself to abuse in the hands of so-called powerful miracle workers; repent of the evil around you, and God will grant your prayers. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It is instructive to note that even among those who bore fruit, not all were the same. Some were thirty, others sixty and others a hundred. We may not all have the same gifts and abilities, but we are called to give our best. We may not all bear the same number of fruits, but God demands that we be fruitful.

In summary, Jesus wants us to be both smart and pure in heart. To illustrate smartness, Jesus gave the parable of the unjust steward who reduced the debts of his master’s debtors so that he would have friends to welcome him when he was kicked out of the job. (cf. Luke 16:1-13). However, unlike the unjust steward with ulterior motives, Jesus wants us to be creative and blameless.

God will never give you an assignment without the necessary tools required for that assignment. Jesus knew the battle ahead. He knew He would risk too much if He sent his disciples “empty-handed.” Jesus did not give them money. He gave them that which is more than money – authority to cast out demons and to heal diseases and infirmity.

Jesus saw all of these and referred to them as harvest and, at the same time, noted that this particular harvest lacked sufficient labourers. God wants to intervene, but He needs people. And we are the labourers. Visit the sick, help the poor, clothe the naked, and make efforts to convert a sinner. God is inviting you to labour for Him. If you are in a position to help salvage the spate of attacks on c, please do something. Labour in this harvest for God

Pray with faith; pray with expectation; pray like Jarius and the woman with the issue of blood. Ensure that your actions before, during and after praying do not contradict your faith. The woman with the issue of blood backed her faith with action by touching the fringe of Jesus’ garment. Jarius, despite being a ruler in Israel, knelt before Jesus.

In his joy, Jesus presents a special invitation to everyone who may be troubled, disturbed, harassed and dejected like sheep without a shepherd (Cf. Matthew 10:36). What is this invitation? “Come to me, all who labour and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me. (Matthew 11:28-29) Coming to Jesus implies learning from Him. We cannot say we have come to Jesus if we fail to learn from Him.

While the friends of the paralytic made their faith visible, the scribes at that gathering felt that Jesus was blaspheming. For them, Jesus was a man trying to make himself equal to God. These scribes dared not voice their thoughts, but Jesus could hear them. We may pretend about our faith, but we cannot fool God; He knows when our presence in the Church is a formality.

It annoys God when we sing melodiously and dance skilfully in church, yet return home to sin without remorse. It annoys God when we do not make any efforts to repent of our sins yet continue to make people around us believe we are holy. “Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps, I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

The question is not whether or not we will face trials, but how do we respond in such moments? Faced with the storms, the disciples expected the worst; they cried out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” Jesus was disappointed with them not because they prayed but because they prayed with fear; that is, they were not expecting their prayers to be answered.

The irony of life is that while we look down on what is ours, others value it more. While many were struggling to believe in Jesus, a Centurion, a Roman Soldier in charge of a hundred soldiers, had enough faith to see that Jesus is God; that He only needs to speak the word and the whole world would obey. Even Jesus was amazed at his great faith: “In no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Can Jesus say this of you too? Do you believe there is power in prayer?