DAILY HOMILIES #St. Paul

Develop a thick skin ready to handle “spiritual stress” during moments of tribulation. Be willing, like Job, to accept whatever comes your way, knowing that God remains forever your loving Father. Let not your hearts be troubled. Challenges are part of life. If the road is too smooth, the journey would be tedious. Just keep moving. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

It is believed that Mark was among the Seventy whom Jesus sent out two by two into the surrounding countries in Luke 10:1-20. As Luke narrates, the seventy returned rejoicing, declaring that the evil spirits obeyed their bidding. This is the same reality Mark conveys in the concluding part of his Gospel passage, which we read today. “And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by signs that attended it.” (Mark 16:20).

Regardless of the apostles’ weaknesses, Jesus still entrusted them with the mission: “Go into the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation.” You don’t have to be perfect to become God’s instrument of salvation. You only need to be willing to accept correction and to develop a strong daily desire to improve. Do you notice that the apostles did not defend themselves or offer excuses, unlike Saul? They did not pass the blame like Adam and Eve; they accepted their faults, learned their lessons and moved on stronger.

Judas used a kiss (i.e. a friendly signal) to identify Jesus. Jesus said to Judas, “Friend, why are you here?” letting Judas know that he was still his friend despite the betrayal. Jesus never held any grudge against Judas. Whether we like it or not, betrayal will come. The question is: how quickly are you willing to forgive your friends?

No matter how dire your situation seems, always maintain a positive attitude. Trust that God is giving you the best for now and that He is leading you somewhere. Good days bring memories, bad days teach lessons, and worst days bring endurance. No matter how painful your experiences are, learn to look at the bright side.

Like Lazarus, who was bound all over, sin ties us down and keeps us stagnated spiritually. That is why we need Jesus in our lives. And it really doesn’t matter how deep sin may have crushed us. It is not too late today to repent and begin to live a new life in Christ.

Drinking the Cup Does Not guarantee seats of Honour; serving Others Does. Jesus said to James and John: “You will drink my chalice, but to sit at my right and left is not mine to grant but those whom my Father has prepared.” Whether we like it or not, we will all face tough times, but the weight of our crosses does not translate into the type of seats we would occupy in heaven. Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first must be your slave.”

The scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about their appearance than their holiness. They invested heavily in looking good but remained ugly in God’s sight. They took seats of honour at banquets but remained unworthy of the eternal banquet. They sat in the front rows of the synagogue, but without oil in their lamps, they were destined to stay outside like the foolish virgins. (cf. Matthew 25:1-13).

Many obstacles and potholes usually mar the journey to anything excellent and beautiful. Even serving God is not easy. No one, not even Jesus Christ the Son of God, was spared suffering, pain, and sorrow. Like gold, which has to experience fire, you would face a lot of fires that would remove impurities from you. Don’t give up on God. Don’t think that your prayers are in vain. Things would not always be like this. Don’t worry: after the story comes the glory.

Jesus was about to begin his public ministry, to pull souls from the devil’s captivity; it was too much of a threat to the devil, and so he had to try his best to make Jesus change his mind. The devil was basically trying to make Jesus achieve glory by a shortcut; to jump from baptism straight to ascension, without having to go through the process of preaching, touching the lives of people, and especially the arrest, the trial, and the cross. (The devil knew that he would be finally defeated on that cross, and he tried to make Jesus jump over it). This is why, when Peter suggested to Jesus that the cross would never happen, Jesus didn’t waste time using the same words he used during the temptation: “Get behind me, Satan.”

In the words of St. Augustine: “God will never let his children suffer except if such suffering is ultimately for their good.” Every time you face trials, know you are on the verge of a breakthrough. Something great is coming your way; you only need to pass this test. Trials are like promotion exams we take before moving up. St. James says, “Count it all joy when you meet various trials.”

The key to being ‘the salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of the world’ is showing love to those who need it most: the hungry, the homeless, the naked, the sick, the prisoners and so on. Although Isaiah’s list is not exhaustive, he basically draws our attention to the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy, which are: Feeding the Hungry, Giving Drink to the Thirsty, Sheltering the Homeless, Clothing the Naked, Visiting the Sick, Visiting the Prisoners, and Burying the Dead.