DAILY HOMILIES #repentance

As far as you repent today, your past does not matter anymore. Once you drop the old ways, do not go back again. Invite Jesus into your heart and believe in his presence with you always, believe you have the power to overcome sin, the power even to raise back to life those aspects that were dead as a result of bad habits.

As great as John the Baptist was, we hear Jesus saying today: “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist.” What does this mean? That heaven is so different from this world and the standards of judgment or ranking are not like what we see here on earth. Let’s face the fact, heaven is not an easy place to get to. No wonder Jesus asserted in Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door...

Man’s opinion about you may be damaging but it is God’s opinion that matters. The name people call you is just an identity, it does not define your essence. The fact that people are laughing at you or insulting you does not make you a loser. Let God have the last word.

Today, all our readings point to the danger of living in sin, the suffering it brings to us, and the desire of God to win us back as His beloved sons and daughters.

Bartholomew was touched merely by the fact that Jesus saw him under the fig tree. He was convinced immediately that only a Son of God could have known he was under a fig tree at that time. What was he doing under the fig tree? Could it be that Jesus was saying: “Young man, I know your secret oh.” Anyway, we would not be celebrating him today if he did not stick to Jesus and remain with him to death.

Your bones may have been dead completely. You may have lost all hope. You may have given up on every attempt to repent from certain things you know God is not pleased with but the truth my dear friend is that God still cares! His love is everlasting!

In any church, be sure to find the good, the bad, the very bad, and the satanic. And just as you cannot easily distinguish the wheat from weeds, Christians are not easily distinguishable today. We all dress alike, talk alike and pretend very well but it is when we get to the privacy of our homes that our true religion plays out.

When we go for confession, God so forgives our sins and washes us that we can confidently say we become new creatures. God does not remember our sins because the moment we offload them at the confessional, our old self dies and we leave as newborn babies. Just as you cannot accuse a newborn baby of sin, God no longer accuses us of the sins that we have dropped at the confessional. Never be too shy to go to confession; it is not the priest who forgives us but Jesus Christ himself who gave the priest the power to retain or absolve sins in His name.

Peter takes glory away from himself and directs the attention of the crowd to Jesus. He knew the miracle had captured their attention. Peter did not ask them to sow seeds in anticipation of their own miracle, rather He said: “Repent, therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”

What Judas did can be likened to one who receives Holy Communion in the Church only to walk out immediately after mass to commit a mortal sin. Let us examine our hearts. Never assume you have time. Today may just be your last chance to repent.

Whatever possession you have that you do not need and at the same time, cannot give away is an idol that you are keeping. Seeing these idols every day may give you a sense of security but they cannot save you nor can they answer prayers.

For thirty-eight years the man remained there “hoping against hope” that one day, he would enter the pool before anyone else. You may have been trying unsuccessfully to overcome the same sin. Don’t give up. You may have failed countless times but let your answer to Jesus’ question remain: “Yes, I want to be healed.”