DAILY HOMILIES #truth

No one is an island. Even God is a community of three persons. Always consult with others before making any decisions. As a Christian community, we can only remain united when we regularly communicate with one another and discuss our plans. Staying away from zonal meetings or societal gatherings out of malice is detrimental to our progress as a people.

We live in a world where it is difficult to find honest people. Never trust anyone who tells lies; they don’t know God. Are you in the habit of telling lies? It is time to ask the Holy Spirit’s help. If someone knows the truth and decides to twist it, that person can efficiently work for the devil. You may have heard the saying: “Say the truth and shame the devil.” Lies glorify the devil because it is his nature to deceive and destroy.

Do you believe you can do greater things than what Jesus did on earth? Do you trust God will do whatever you ask in Jesus’ Name? Praying without faith is like running on the spot; you exert much energy but no movement. Let us strengthen our belief in the power of prayer, for it is through faith that we truly connect with God.

Be careful with those you argue with. Like these men who disputed with Stephen, some people may use arguments as a mask to unleash their demonic agenda. Don’t try to win every argument. Some people want to be heard. Listen to them. Do not make enemies over matters of doctrine. Otherwise, the only person who gains is the devil.

After listening to Peter, the crowd asked: “What are we to do?” This crowd remains a model of how we listen to God’s Words. They did not ask Peter about his degrees or qualifications. They were not concerned about where he came from or his profession. Although most of them were Jews who had come from different parts of the world to celebrate Pentecost, they did not ask Peter to work signs. Do not be distracted by the messenger when listening to God’s Word. Instead, allow the message to work in you by asking important questions such as: “What must I do? What needs to change in my life? What can I improve?”

When the truth hits us hard, we immediately resist it because it opposes what we are used to; it challenges our pride and sense of security. Like the audience in today’s Gospel passage, we may assume we are being insulted if we don’t reflect on it. Avoid praise singers; they are like that rat that blows air on its victim before feasting on its flesh.

Jonah did not work miracles. Like the crowd in our Gospel passage, many Christians today have reduced their worship of God to a quest for miracles. Jesus referred to such persons as an “evil generation.” Those looking for miracles are only interested in “using” God. Should they get the miracles they seek, it never translates to repentance.

According to John, “So many antichrists have come; therefore, we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us…. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you know it and know that no lie is of the truth.” (1 John 2:18-21).

The best remedy for bad fear is prayer. Yesterday, we heard the prophet Isaiah say, “That those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary.” Today, God assures us: “Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge… I will open rivers on the bare heights and fountains amid valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water…”

To many, the widow’s mite was insignificant, but for that widow, these two coins meant the whole world to her. The others gave money, but she gave value. The others gave what they didn’t need, but she gave what she needed for survival. She, like Abel, sacrificed the best, and God accepted her sacrifice.

In today’s first reading, we continue the revelations of St. John, where he mentions the two witnesses (two olive trees or two lampstands) who stand before the Lord. These two witnesses were attacked and killed by the beast who came from the bottomless pit, but after three and a half days, the two witnesses rose to life when a breath from God entered them. Death is not the end; it is only a new beginning.

Today, St. Paul explains that as Christians, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. We fight against that thief who “comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy.” (John 10:10). No matter how good we are, we have enemies who would hate us not for the good we do but because they have been won over by the thief – the deceiver whose only goal is to destroy.