DAILY HOMILIES #world

Today, many have lost their “taste” as salt and their “brightness” as a light. We claim to be Christians, but we make life difficult for others. We are a source of scandal to those who look up to us as role models. We have given bad examples and corrupted the minds of the young. Never assume that it is okay to do evil since no one is looking. Jesus describes us as cities built on a hill, meaning there can be no hiding place for us, even in the most secret places. What we do in the cover of darkness comes out openly to bring us to our knees. “For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.” (Mark 4:22).

As Christians, we are constantly the subject of hatred by wolves who pretend to love us. Jesus does not pray that we should be taken out of the world. Jesus prays that we should be protected from the evil one. Even though we wrestle against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12), we are assured of God’s protection. We do not wrestle as victims but as victors, because Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33).

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. You cannot have the Holy Spirit in you and remain sad and miserable because the Holy Spirit must bear fruit in you. The joy the Holy Spirit gives us remains regardless of whatever trials or tribulations we may encounter in life. Let us pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our lives that he may fill us with supernatural joy and bless us with a kind of peace that this world cannot provide.

The world hates Christians because it sees a reflection of Christ in them. “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19). The world prefers darkness to light. Evil is always more attractive than good.

Child of God, you have no reason to be afraid of the devil or persons possessed with demonic spirits. God has put all things under your feet. You are a child of God; you did not receive the spirit of timidity. He that is in you is greater than any power on earth. Never look down on yourself. You are so powerful that your very presence is a threat to demons. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

St. John says: “The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:10). The children of the devil are never happy seeing others behave well. Also, the children of the devil do not love; they are always carrying hatred and bitterness in their hearts, always looking for an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy.

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 people to whom Isaiah prophesied in our first reading were a people in darkness. Isaiah prophesied that Christ, the world’s light, would dwell in their midst and wipe out the darkness. The Angels announced this to the shepherds who kept watch at night: “For to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.”

In today’s first reading, Daniel declared: “To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship shall never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14). The dominion of Jesus can never pass away, and no one can destroy His kingdom. As we hear in today’s second reading, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

When detached from worldly riches, we will realise that suffering taunts, hatred, exclusion, ridicule and injustice is a blessing for Christ’s sake. It is a blessing to be attacked for doing good. You should be worried if you are not suffering anything for being a Christian. As the saying goes: “If the devil is not fighting you, it is probably because you are not a threat to him.”

Without love for God, the cross is a punishment, but when there is love in our hearts, the cross is worth carrying.

Paul looked into the future while addressing the elders (pastors) at Ephesus concerning fake pastors whom he described as ‘fierce wolves.’ Jesus also saw the future when He spoke of the world’s hatred against His disciples. Today, this hatred no longer comes from external forces but from fierce wolves in sheep's clothing operating from within the church