DAILY HOMILIES #repentance

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.”

The prodigal son represents that desire in us to grab and grab the material pleasures of the world. That he squandered all he had within a short time shows that all that the world has to offer only lasts for a short time; money reduces in value, beauty fades, things get broken, fame diminishes, love soon turns to hate and so on… In fact, nothing lasts forever on earth! We must never lose sight of our true home; heaven.

Like the children of Israel who called out to God in prayer when they were suffering in the hands of the Egyptians, the key to fighting sin is prayer. Jesus said: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8). If asking has to do with praying, seeking has to do with making efforts. Yes, God is interested in the efforts you are making

Wash the inside of your cup. Believe that you can do without sin. Make efforts like the men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus through the roof. Let Jesus see your faith and He would reward you with grace to overcome temptation. Don’t look down on yourself.

Dear friend, come back to God today. He will not only give you another chance, He would make you His shining star. There is just no limit to what God can accomplish through you.