DAILY HOMILIES

Do you want your prayers to be heard? God says, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:16-17). There is no point moving from Church to Church or subjecting yourself to abuse in the hands of so-called powerful miracle workers; repent of the evil around you, and God will grant your prayers. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It is instructive to note that even among those who bore fruit, not all were the same. Some were thirty, others sixty and others a hundred. We may not all have the same gifts and abilities, but we are called to give our best. We may not all bear the same number of fruits, but God demands that we be fruitful.

God is not looking for proud people who think they are better than others. God wants to work with humble people who know how much they need help. God does not call the perfect but perfects those He calls – He sent an Angel to touch Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal and absolve his sins. When was the last time you sincerely and thoroughly confessed your sins? Do you consider it too humiliating to tell a priest your secret sins?

In summary, Jesus wants us to be both smart and pure in heart. To illustrate smartness, Jesus gave the parable of the unjust steward who reduced the debts of his master’s debtors so that he would have friends to welcome him when he was kicked out of the job. (cf. Luke 16:1-13). However, unlike the unjust steward with ulterior motives, Jesus wants us to be creative and blameless.

Preaching may begin on the pulpit, but it must never end there. We must go out to touch the sick, feed the hungry and help the poor; we must strive to meet the people where they are. When reaching out to the people, we must avoid turning our ministry into a money-making enterprise. Jesus says: “You received without pay, give without pay, take no gold, silver, or copper. No bag, two tunics, sandals, or a staff.”

God will never give you an assignment without the necessary tools required for that assignment. Jesus knew the battle ahead. He knew He would risk too much if He sent his disciples “empty-handed.” Jesus did not give them money. He gave them that which is more than money – authority to cast out demons and to heal diseases and infirmity.

Jesus saw all of these and referred to them as harvest and, at the same time, noted that this particular harvest lacked sufficient labourers. God wants to intervene, but He needs people. And we are the labourers. Visit the sick, help the poor, clothe the naked, and make efforts to convert a sinner. God is inviting you to labour for Him. If you are in a position to help salvage the spate of attacks on c, please do something. Labour in this harvest for God

Pray with faith; pray with expectation; pray like Jarius and the woman with the issue of blood. Ensure that your actions before, during and after praying do not contradict your faith. The woman with the issue of blood backed her faith with action by touching the fringe of Jesus’ garment. Jarius, despite being a ruler in Israel, knelt before Jesus.

In his joy, Jesus presents a special invitation to everyone who may be troubled, disturbed, harassed and dejected like sheep without a shepherd (Cf. Matthew 10:36). What is this invitation? “Come to me, all who labour and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me. (Matthew 11:28-29) Coming to Jesus implies learning from Him. We cannot say we have come to Jesus if we fail to learn from Him.

New wine is good. Old wine is also good. The problem is using old wineskins to store new wine or vice versa. This parable points to the importance of timing. Your plans may be perfect, but if it isn’t the right time, you will pour new wine into an old wineskin. For instance, Amos’ prophecy of a time of restoration for Israel came hundreds of years later in Jesus Christ. That was the right time, neither earlier nor later.

The life of St. Thomas, whom we celebrate today, is a typical example of a saint who was just like you and me. He had every reason to doubt the resurrection of Christ because nothing like that had ever happened before. However, when Jesus showed Himself to Thomas, he fell to his knees and worshipped Jesus, saying, “My Lord and My God!”

While the friends of the paralytic made their faith visible, the scribes at that gathering felt that Jesus was blaspheming. For them, Jesus was a man trying to make himself equal to God. These scribes dared not voice their thoughts, but Jesus could hear them. We may pretend about our faith, but we cannot fool God; He knows when our presence in the Church is a formality.