DAILY HOMILIES #Son of Man

Without further questions, “the official believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.” When the priest says, “Go forth, the Mass is ended”, consider these words as coming from Jesus’ lips. Go home joyful, hopeful and happy. Go with positive expectations. The behaviour of this official is similar to that of Hannah, who believed the prophet Eli’s word.

Jesus did not sugar-coat discipleship. He strips it bare: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me, for whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” (Luke 9:23). Jesus lays before us a choice to either follow him along the path of sacrifice which eventually leads to eternal life or to seek worldliness now and forfeit our souls eventually.

God is a king who can never be destroyed. He is greater than anything we can imagine or think of. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who made us and sustains our lives. Jesus assures us today, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will not.” Let us renew our faith and confidence in Him daily, casting off our fear of evil spirits, for we know that no one is greater than God.

Daniel was talking about the brightness of good deeds: our holy life, our love for one another, our rendering of help to the needy, our genuine worship of God, our faithfulness to sound Christian living, etc. These good deeds are lights amid the darkness of sin enveloping our world today. If we don’t start shining now, we will not shine when we die.

We celebrate the Cross of Jesus Christ today and the various crosses we bear as Christians. In the Beatitudes, Jesus told us to “rejoice and be glad” when we are persecuted, insulted, excluded, oppressed or denied our rights for His Sake. This is what we are doing today – rejoicing in our sufferings, knowing that for every pain we endure, a crown awaits us in heaven.

Daniel’s vision can be likened to a blind man trying to describe an elephant by touching one part of its body. God is beyond scientific observation or explanation. God is Father, Son, and Spirit. God is Love. Don’t try to intellectualise God, worship Him.