DAILY HOMILIES #oxen

One of the Beatitudes states: “Blessed are those who mourn.” Learn to mourn over sin. Mourn the widespread immorality in our society. If you do not mourn the spread of evil, you will soon find yourself justifying it and even accepting it as usual. Cultivate righteous anger; do everything within your power to prevent the proliferation of sin.

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say, “You shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” We must avoid turning the house of God into a place of commerce. Let us ask ourselves some pertinent questions. Have I come to God’s house to worship God or to transact business? As a priest, pastor, evangelist or clergyman, am I repeating the errors of the Jews by turning the church into a business empire? Do I make it impossible or difficult for the poor to worship God through the imposition of unnecessary levies, taxes and other forms of exploitation?

The purpose of our calling as Christians and especially as God’s ministers is to incarnate Christ in our world. As Elijah handed over to Elijah, even the strongest among us would need to be replaced someday. Let us encourage our young ones to respond positively to God’s call. How dark would our world be if there are no ministers or no authentic Christians anymore? However, the truth is that God will never force his calling on anyone. We must also avoid forcing our children into the seminary just for the sake of making a name for our family. It has to come from them. Anyone who has agreed to respond to God’s call must learn to trust God completely and no longer depend on material provisions. This is the symbolic meaning of Elisha’s decision to sacrifice the entire oxen he was working with. And finally, we all have been called to live by the spirit rather than gratifying the desires of the flesh. The minister who fails to practice bodily purity is nothing short of a scandal to the Christian faith preaching one Gospel on the pulpit but preaching something different by his actions.