DAILY HOMILIES #St. Paul

Immorality and evil in our world today are simply a direct reflection of the fact that people no longer believe God exists. It is foolish to say God does not exist. It is even greater foolishness to disobey God’s commandments, to live as though there is no authority guiding your life.

The people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, yet many who heard Jesus preach refused to repent. Can we say Jonah preached better than Jesus? No way. The problem is not Jesus but the listeners. If we decide to harden our hearts after hearing from God, then we deserve the consequences of our actions.

In this thought-provoking blog post, discover how faith plays a pivotal role in shaping our wholeness and understanding of life's true essence.

We all experience various soils at different times in our lives. Sometimes, we are like the seeds on the road path. Sometimes, we hear God’s Word but respond with a stony heart. Sometimes, we let money (or other material pleasures) override our love for God. Let us ask ourselves: “Where am I right now?” That is, which type of soil defines my current spirituality? Once we answer this question, we will know what to do. Remember, the only thing stopping you from sainthood is yourself. Look inwards and make amends.

According to St. Paul, those who consider pastoral ministry a money-making enterprise “fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evils; through this craving, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. But as for you, man of God, shun all this.” (1 Timothy 6:9-11).

Be a good person; forget about trying to please human beings (avoid hypocrisy). Just as God fought for Joseph and many others like him, God will fight for you. Those who try to kill you by giving you a bad name will start speaking in your favour.

One of the secrets of Paul’s success as a great missionary and evangelist was his ability to thoroughly examine his own conscience and admit his faults. In today’s first reading, St. Paul writes: “I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service, though I formerly blasphemed, persecuted and insulted him” (1 Timothy 1:12-13).

What makes a Christian different from any other human being on earth? Jesus Christ answers this question in today’s Gospel passage, and His answer is simple: LOVE FOR ENEMIES. You are not better than any sinner if you only love those who love you. Your Christian identity demands a higher attitude; that you love your haters as well.

Be poor in spirit; do not be haughty, rude or arrogant. Be eager for salvation. Do not simply gloss over evil in the world. Do not be indifferent to the problem of immorality, indecency and corruption. Of course, fighting evil and injustice by shining your light will create more enemies than friends for you. Jesus says we should rejoice even in our sufferings for His sake.

Jesus consulted with God all night long. It was only after this consultation that Jesus made His selection; first, He chose twelve persons – a number symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel; secondly, all twelve persons were men; thirdly, none of these men was perfect – each of them had character flaws here and there, some will still not believe after many miracles, one would deny Him, and one would eventually betray Him.

By ‘hate’, Jesus is referring to ‘detachment.’ To better understand what Jesus means, recall what He taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; you should lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; you should lose one of your members rather than that your whole body goes into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30). Whatever could lead us to sin, including our own family members, must be cut off from us.

So long as the Jews failed to recognise Jesus as God in human flesh, Jesus seemed to them as a law-breaker. To this day, the world continues to grapple with this truth. Did God really take our human flesh? How could Jesus be fully human and fully God at the same time? Surprisingly, even amongst Christians today, many seem more comfortable addressing Jesus as the Son of God but not as God Himself.