DAILY HOMILIES #truth

Instead of allowing the truth to cure their pride, they turned against Jesus, intending to throw Him off the cliff. Their action did not nullify the bitter truth. Salvation is not hereditary, nor is it automatic. Indeed, the fact that I am a Catholic does not qualify me for heaven; it is the way I live that counts.

In our society today, there are many Herods who believe they can do anything: take any woman or man they want, tell any lie, steal any amount they wish to, etc. They even brag, saying nobody, not even the Supreme Court, can stop them. Like Herod, they may kill the body, but they can never kill the truth.

As Jesus already described in the parables of the kingdom, not everyone receives the word with a welcoming heart. For some, instead of allowing the seed to grow, they turn around to attack the farmer. The question now is, am I one of such persons? How do I react when the truth makes me uncomfortable? If God’s words disturb you, consider it a call to repentance. Do not make the mistake of attacking the preacher.

The moment Elisha sensed his calling, he took the yoke of oxen, slew them, boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people. They all ate, and then he rose, went after Elijah, and ministered to him. Interestingly, this is exactly what Jesus required of Peter and the other apostles (including the seventy others). Jesus also required this of the rich young man: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21).

The Athenians did not accept Paul because they couldn’t face the truth. They acknowledged their ignorance by making an Altar with the inscription: “To an unknown god,” but when Paul brought the truth to them, they resisted it.

Very often, we are just like Herod; we gather around ourselves a bunch of sycophants and praise singers. Anyone who tells us the truth, challenges us, or criticises us is considered our enemy. Instead of accepting our faults, we find a way to eliminate such a person. Be humble enough to take criticism. You are not always as perfect as your ego makes you believe. Consider those who criticise you to be your real friends, helping you to grow.

Our inner restlessness is not a result of a lack of material comforts, but rather a lack of a solid connection with God. Even though we gather all the pleasurable things in the world, make all the money, and become the most powerful persons, we would still be UNHAPPY if we lacked a connection with God. The best we can ever get away from God is a tickling of our senses, but genuine happiness is found only in God.

Courage is not merely the absence of fear; it is the knowledge that God is alive and He is with you always. Jesus knew that achieving salvation for mankind was not going to happen on a platter of gold, hence He said: “The Son of man MUST SUFFER many things, and be REJECTED by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be KILLED, and on the third day be RAISED.” (Luke 9:23).

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.

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.

The simple truth is that even though many of us are frequent at Holy Communion, we have no real connection with God. At the gate of heaven, God will deny knowing us because we refused to take our hands off evil. We tried eating our cake and having it; we thought we could serve two masters. We pretended to be good externally, but we soaked ourselves in sin in secret. On the last day, it is those things we did secretly that will count.

During the marriage feast, the King discovered there was one who came into the feast without a wedding garment. Not only was this man bound hand and foot, but he was also cast into the outer darkness, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Just as no one forced Jephthah to make a vow, no one forced this man into the marriage feast. He came on his own. He was supposed to do just one thing: put on a wedding garment like all the others who were invited freely. But in the end, he got what he deserved.