DAILY HOMILIES #pain

The Bible describes Joseph as a just man. (Matthew 1:19). This means he was a man of integrity. He was well-respected in the community. He had a good name. He was a man of justice. He was not wayward and believed in always doing what was right. Can it be said about me that I am a just person? Do I practice selective integrity?

The easiest way to forgive is to assume the past never existed. God does not deal with us according to our past; rather, he relates with us according to our present (future potential).

Remember that song: “When Jesus is in the family, happy, happy home…” Jesus’ presence in a home makes all things right. Is there anyone sick in your house? Are you experiencing a family crisis, tired of the headaches of stubborn children, or experiencing marital crisis and infidelity? Then it is time to let Jesus into your house by driving out the devil, by driving out any sinful or evil practices in your homes. Bring Jesus into your bedrooms through prayer, for where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there. (Cf. Matthew 18:20).

Do not let anything bother you or weigh you down. Jesus did not ask: “How am I going to attend to the whole world?” instead, Jesus started with the little that was available. Start with the little you have. God will do the rest.

Today, Jesus wants us to know He is more pleased with our reconciliation with others than our offertories. Just as our gifts to God are expensive, forgiveness is also costly. Forgiving others is painful if the person refuses to admit their fault. However, this pain is worth it because it is pleasing to God.

Whether we like it or not, there would be moments of suffering in our lives, there would be tough times, and there would be moments of confusion and disappointment. We may even find ourselves praying like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.”

Like the servant whose debts were forgiven, we pray for God’s mercy every day yet we continue to nurse the hurts of others in our hearts seeking, waiting, and hoping for opportunities to strike them down. The next time you feel like dealing with someone, think about how much God has forgiven you in the past.

To be a disciple is to be a student or to learn something from one’s teacher and since learning involves pain, it may also be referred to as discipline. As disciples of God, the book of Hebrews today, tells us that there are times God disciplines us not out of hatred but because he wants us to learn. Never regret a day in your life: good days give happiness, bad days give experience, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories.

Surely, there are so many good things we get to enjoy for being Christians but our worship of God should not be predicated on these things. We are Christians not because of what we stand to gain from God but because we Love God. As such, even when we don’t receive anything or when misfortunes come our way, we must remain faithful.

If you agree that Mary carried Jesus in her womb for nine months and went through labor pains to have him, I do not know of any mother that would not feel a thing while watching her innocent son go through all of these. Whatever our present sorrows in this life may be, let us be consoled that we have a mother who was no stranger to sorrow and reach out for our rosary in asking for her intercession.

We cannot follow the narrow door if we cannot dare to stand out from the world and be different. To enter by the narrow door is to love God’s commandments regardless of what the world thinks about them.

Jesus was impressed not just with her faith (her unwillingness to give up), He was impressed by her deep-seated humility. Jesus worked this miracle for her to teach us the need to be persistent with our prayers and to always apply the virtue of humility in our relations with others. Remember, the hand that begs is longer. Learn to be humble. Don’t interpret everything as an insult; you never can tell if the so-called insult is just a test. No matter how highly placed you think we are, there would always be someone who has something that you lack. Never look down on anyone. If suffering doesn’t teach you humility, nothing else can.