DAILY HOMILIES #righteousness

Good Friday shows God understands our pains. He knows what it feels like to love and be rejected, to be betrayed, angry, hungry, insulted, dissatisfied, sick, weak, or sorrowful. Good Friday teaches us that Jesus once felt whatever you were going through today.

Refrain from the temptation of hating your persecutors, otherwise, you become like them. Submit everything to God and let Him take vengeance as He deems fit. Do not pray for the death of your enemies. Just surrender them to God.

Godly perfection is doing what is right even though it appears unnecessary. According to street morality, Godly perfection is “doing too much” - that which is good but most people will not consider. For instance, would you obey the traffic light while driving home at 2 am, and it appears you are the only one on the road?

Blessed Tansi was often accused of taking his Christian faith too seriously. He lived this vocation at the abbey for 14 years. Father Tansi used to say: “If you are going to be a Christian at all, you might as well live entirely for God”.

Our celebration today brings our Christmas celebration to an end. Jesus is no longer a baby but a fully grown man. From tomorrow, we enter the season of Ordinary Time. Like Jesus, our baptism should be a necessary launch pad for great things in God’s kingdom. We shouldn’t be content with possessing a baptismal certificate. We must put it to work.

There are no perfect families. There are only human families, and humans have flaws, weaknesses and limitations. St. Paul would say: “The good I want to do, I don’t do it, but I end up doing the evil I don’t want.” You may not be happy about your family, but do not assume your family is the worst. It is with this understanding that our readings today offer us useful tips on how to improve the situation of our families.

If you are not fired up like Eleazer, the seven brothers and their mother, Matatthaias, or Judas and his brothers or even like Jesus (who cleansed the temple), then there is something seriously wrong somewhere. Fight for morality, fight for truth, fight for justice, fight for the Christian faith.

Learn to mourn over sin. Mourn over the pervasiveness of immorality in our society. If you do not mourn the spread of evil, you will soon find yourself approving it and even seeing it as normal. Develop righteous anger; do whatever is in your power to stop the spread of sin.

You can make this world a better place. Visualise it, believe it is possible, and work it out. Be ready to make whatever sacrifice is required. Your faith will bring you success.

As we reflect on Mary’s Immaculate Heart, let us look at our hearts. Is my heart like that of Mary? What efforts am I making to guard my heart against all defilements of evil? Is my heart clean enough to accommodate God? Am I willing to listen to the truth and change my ways?

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.

Striving for Christian perfection surely sounds like foolishness to the world. The world we live in today has lost its moral values. Saying the truth at all times, refusing to tell a lie, staying away from sex before marriage, remaining faithful to your spouse even in tough times, keeping one’s heart pure, forgiving others freely and continuously, and staying away from secret sins may not command the respect of people but these are the characteristics of truly wise people.