DAILY HOMILIES #pain

the truth is that there is always a time limit for the wicked. They may reign for a while, but they cannot reign forever. The Pharisees may have succeeded in making Jesus withdraw for a while. They seemed to have succeeded when Jesus was eventually killed, but in the end, who has the last laugh? You see, we only see the wickedness of others, we never see our own wickedness. We may be suffering the pains of other people’s wickedness but most often, we too are not immune from inflicting pain on others. Just as we are praying to God to fight those who make us cry, there are many people praying hard against us.

Christians who see the Christian faith as a shortcut to success, comfort, and prosperity cannot withstand trials. When they don’t get what they expect, they rush to wherever they expect solutions. They are not afraid of God; for them, God is just a tool, an option among many providers.

Has the past been painful? Then why are you still holding on to it?

Jesus is saying to us today: “Whatsoever you do to the least (the smallest, the unimportant, the poorest, the minority, the outcast), that you do unto me.”

Right there on the cross, Jesus said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). When people reject you, it does not mean you are worthless, it simply means they are ignorant of your worth. Excuse them and move on.

Mary remains a model in terms of how we are to deal with pain. This is why whenever we are sorrowful, we should run to her maternal embrace. Mary who felt the pain of the couple at the wedding feast, when they ran out of wine, would surely speak to her son Jesus on our behalf when things are not going right for us.

Let us learn from Lawrence the need to be charitable and the willingness to let go of our life itself so that we can have a better life in heaven

Never fall into the temptation of taking the easy path. In life, there are no short-cuts. Can you imagine being operated upon in a life or death situation by a doctor who cheated his way through school? Just as there is always a price to pay, there is a prize (reward) that comes with every suffering we face in life.

Somehow, we tend to shut Jesus out of our homes, we refuse to allow him to enter our space. The moment we leave the church premises and return home, we pull off our Christianity along with our Church attire and change into something else; we begin to behave like strangers to the faith.

Like Jesus’ kinsfolk, we need to ask ourselves today: “Why do I look down on what is my own? What is stopping me from seeing beyond the Carpenter’s son? Why is it that I cannot see the hand of God even in midst of this painful situation I am facing right now?

If God permits suffering in your life, it is not out of hatred or punishment, it is because He knows that something good can come out it. Don’t have this attitude of complaint or bitterness against God, do not seek to revenge (lest you open your mind for the devil to feed you with all kinds of evil thoughts). Just look at the unique opportunities your situation is offering to you.