DAILY HOMILIES #wisdom

Consider it your duty to be good. The world needs you; it needs Christians. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. You do not thank your bulb for shining when you turn on the switch; it is simply doing its duty. Do not expect anyone to thank or praise you for shining. Just continue living a virtuous life. Be more concerned with having conquered death than with receiving praise from others.

Today is the best time to start preparing for death. Please do not wait until it is too late. The steward did not wait until he was dismissed before calling his master’s debtors. Fifth, the best preparation for death is storing treasures in heaven and showing kindness to the needy. The steward made friends by reducing the debts of his master’s debtors. We are to make friends by giving away whatever we have. After all, nothing belongs to us in the first place. We came empty, and we shall return empty.

Parents, it is time to rise, take your children and flee from immorality, corruption, insincerity, indecency, drug abuse, and other vices. How do we protect our children? Be a light to them. Lead by example. Stop teaching your children how to tell lies, how to cheat in exams or prostitute themselves. Secondly, spend time with your children. Please do not leave them at the mercy of helpers, domestic staff or others who may harm their spiritual and moral development.

Never judge your worth by the negative behaviour of others. Did Jesus remain in Nazareth after He was rejected? He didn’t need to force anyone to believe; he left them and went elsewhere. The same Barnabas and Paul who ran like thieves from Iconium became gods at Lystra. Barnabas became Zeus, and Paul; they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. For healing a cripple who had never walked from birth, they could not stop the people from offering sacrifices to them. Go where you are appreciated.

How Do We Turn Off The Worry-Machine in Us? Jesus answers: “Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms.” In other words, the cure for constant worry is faith in God. Remember that the book of Hebrews defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). To have faith is to be assured of God’s protection even when all you see with your eyes is danger. To believe in God is to be convinced that God sees and knows what to do regardless of your present circumstances.

Why Does Goodness Attract Enemies? The Book of Wisdom says: “Ungodly men reasoned unsoundly: ‘Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions. Let us test him with insult and torture.” (Cf. Wisdom 2:12-21). Evil doers, having made themselves God’s enemies, are constantly at war with God’s children.

Give a million dollars to a fool; they will be poor in one year. Give one dollar to a wise person, and they could earn a million dollars in one year. Wisdom is life. The book of Sirach says: “Whoever holds her fast will obtain glory… He who obeys her will judge the nations, and whoever gives heed to her will dwell securely.” Wisdom goes beyond gathering academic degrees, certificates or skills. Wisdom is not being deceptive; telling lies is foolishness. The wisdom that brings life is putting God first and living according to His commandments.

It is better to pray than to command. The disciples asked Jesus in private why they could not cast out the demon, and Jesus responded: “This type can only be driven out by prayer.” We all have authority over evil spirits and demons. St. John says: “Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). However, even with our authority, we must never neglect the discipline of prayer and fasting.

For Jesus, greatness is not having others serve you but becoming a servant to others. “If anyone wishes to be first (great), he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). In Matthew’s version of this passage, Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4).

Perhaps Jesus is asking me to let down my nets for a catch, yet I procrastinate and give God excuses. Trust God and obey His commands. Forget what people around you are saying. Do what is right, and God will reward you with an abundant catch—more than you would have dreamt of if you had disobeyed.

To be wise spiritually is to trust little in your wealth, current status, education, connections, and devotional practices. To be wise is to have a backup, something extra, to hold on to should everything else fail. To be wise, you have to have some extra oil.

The story of Susanna tells of the courage of a well-trained woman who preferred death to sin. The judges thought they could blackmail her, but God came to her rescue. In today’s Gospel passage, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus whom they accused of adultery. Like the Judges in our first reading, they thought they had cornered Jesus. In the end, Jesus, God in human flesh, displayed a wisdom far superior to any human imagination.