DAILY HOMILIES #pray

God does not reject the prayer of the humble and contrite, who can honestly beat his chest and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Don’t be ashamed to pray right after you realise you have sinned. Your heart may condemn you, but God will never condemn you.

Giving to God expresses your faith. If your faith is large enough to acknowledge that everything you have comes from God, then like seeds sown in good soil, you would easily consider doing something to appreciate God.

Dear friends, let us examine our hearts. Are there promises you made to God when things were rough for you, yet long after God heard your prayer, you refused to fulfil your part? Do you even remember God when things are going well for you? Are you currently going through a storm? Don’t worry; storms do not last forever. Keep telling yourself, “This too shall pass.” Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says to us: “Come to me all you who labour and heavily laden, and I will give you rest… for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Are you restless? Bring the matter to Jesus. There is no problem that He cannot handle.

If I want to invite an important visitor to my house, I first ensure my house is clean and has the necessary facilities to make the person comfortable. Right? We have a very, very, very important visitor; the greatest of the greatest is coming. What are you doing to prepare for Him?

Today is not a day of tears. Rather, it is a day for prayers. Try to attend Mass or at least pray the rosary, no matter how busy you are. Visit the Blessed Sacrament and say the Lord’s Prayer, even for just one minute. Just take time to pray; pray for the dead. Pray for the souls in purgatory. This is why many masses are celebrated in every Catholic Church today.

Today, we particularly remember the saints we know: fellow Nigerians, relatives, heroes and heroines. They may not have been officially declared saints, but we believe they are in heaven, given how they lived. That is why a day like this is set aside to celebrate not just the Europeans whose faces appear each time we type “saints” on Google but also the many Africans who may have been forgotten due to our poor record-keeping culture.

What did Jesus consider when he said we should ask, seek and knock? The answer to this question can be seen in the lines that follow. Jesus said: “If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

We all experience transfiguration now and then – moments of excitement, discovery, or joy. Sometimes, we may experience ecstasy while in prayer; we may even see a vision or receive an apparition of Jesus or the Saints. These things come and go. They are highlights of our journey, not destinations in themselves. We can never make them permanent. Do not be a miracle-seeking Christian. God is with us even in the most ordinary events of life.

Dear friend, do you constantly complain about others? Or are you a Jacob who knows how best to take advantage of whatever may be their situation? When did you last ask for a blessing from your parents or an older person?

Everything must not be perfect before you can give yourself permission to be happy. To worry is to attempt to use your mind to solve your problem; if you keep doing this, you may run out of your mind. Just pray about it, take it off your mind, and let God handle the rest.

he principle at work back then was: “When one member suffers, all suffer with him or her.” Does this principle still operate in our churches today? Do we still gather to pray for ourselves? Or have we become too busy to pray? Do we still have faith in the power of prayers?