DAILY HOMILIES #Jesus

God will never force His way into your life if you do not make Him welcome. I mean, we all have a choice, to be possessed by the Holy Spirit or to be possessed by evil spirits such as lust, materialism (greed), wrath, pride, envy, gluttony, sloth, etc.

While the leper believed God could do anything, Abraham fell on his face and laughed when God told him that his wife Sarai would have a child. Abraham thought that God had already done his best with Ishmael. Like Abraham, we sometimes look at our external condition and assume what we have now is the best God can ever do. As long as we believe it, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Never doubt the power of God.

While Peter represents tradition, authority, and unity, Paul represents grace, mercy, and humanity. St. Paul says today, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” These words underlie the nature of the Christian life. It is both a fight and a race at the same time.

In the case of Abram, God wanted him to leave his Father’s house. In your case, God might want you to go through a particular sinful relationship or stop a bad habit. God might want you to take your prayer life more seriously. Whatever the content of your call will be, it will be so clear that you will know it is coming from God.

Learning from Jesus entails learning to forgive others. This is the yoke we must bear, but as Jesus says, it is easier than we think and is vital to finding rest for our souls. John tells us in today’s second reading, “Let us love one another (including our enemies), for he who does not love does not know God.” (1 John 4:7-8) If our hearts cannot love as Jesus loved, we have yet to learn from Him.

Do not be a “Yes” and “No” person. Stop trying to serve two masters. Don’t be a “saint” in public only to become a “demon” in private. Don’t be a preacher of justice and fairness only to deny your employees of their wages. Don’t condemn corrupt politicians only to accept your share of their loot joyfully. Don’t say “yes” to God’s blessings only to turn around and say “no” to his commandments.

The book of Sirach today speaks of the beauty of giving and offering sacrifices to God. It says: “Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed… glorify the Lord generously… with every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with gladness. Please give to the Most High as he has given and as generously as your hand has found. For the Lord is the one who repays and will repay you sevenfold.” (Sirach 35:4-11).

Let us by every means avoid having to compare ourselves with others because we do not know the whole story. Stop asking: “Is her/his/their cross heavier than mine?” We are all carrying the crosses that God deems fit for each of us. No one has it all good!

Jesus does not pray that we should be taken out of the world. Jesus prays that we should be protected from the evil one. Even though we wrestle against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12), we are rest assured of God’s protection. We do not wrestle as victims but as victors, because Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33). Do not fear.

Happiness on earth may be limited but the happiness above is totally unlimited. If we do not experience happiness as we so desire, let us not give up on God or attempt to seek happiness in sin. The devil cannot give what he does not have; it may seem as if we are enjoying for a while but soon it dawns on us that we have been deceived. Child of God, sorrow may last in the night but joy comes in the morning. Never Give up on God!

Today should be a day of joy for us, a day to celebrate the final victory of life over death, a day to celebrate our firm assurance that heaven exists, that just as Christ ascended to heaven, we too shall one day depart this earth and be united with God in heaven. Immediately after the ascension, the disciples entered a mood of prayer in preparation for the Holy Spirit. This is exactly what we must do now.

Today, Jesus Christ calls us his witnesses. We are to work side by side with the Holy Spirit in spreading the truth about him to the world. The question is: How are we to be his witnesses if we are yet to understand him fully? How can we talk to people about Jesus without first talking to Jesus himself? How are we to stand up for him, if we are not convinced about him as the answer to the world’s deepest yearnings? How can we witness to him if we do not abide in the Holy Spirit?