DAILY HOMILIES

The Price of heaven is simple: Keep God’s commandments. This was Jesus’ instruction to the rich man Last Sunday. The second step is detachment. The entrance into heaven is like the “Eye of a Needle.” We cannot pass through this gate with our luggage. Today, Jesus mentions a third step – the sacrifice of one’s very life for the good of others. Jesus asked James and John, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptised with the baptism with which I am baptised?” (Mark 10:38).

Blasphemy is a term used to describe speech or actions that show disrespect, contempt, or irreverence toward God, sacred things or religious beliefs. For instance, cursing God, mocking God’s existence, spreading false teachings about God, desecrating sacred spaces, objects or texts, engaging in sinful or obscene acts, damaging religious symbols or property, etc. To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. As Jesus warns, anyone who commits such a sin will not be forgiven. Do not joke with the Holy Spirit.

Luke heard the call, and he responded. As a doctor, he treated people and cured their diseases. As an Evangelist, he fed their souls with God’s word. As an academic, he wrote a brilliant Gospel after researching and interviewing eyewitnesses. Luke’s Gospel is both historical and revolutionary (concerning the issue of gender equality). Today’s evangelists are not just those wearing cassocks, suits or white garments. Today’s greatest evangelists touch lives right where they are: doctors, lawyers, engineers, information technology experts, businessmen, etc. You, too, are needed here.

Jesus is unhappy with the Pharisees and lawyers because instead of leading people to God, they did the opposite. Jesus’ stern condemnation of these religious leaders calls for a serious examination of conscience on our part. Am I a light for the world or just part of the darkness? Is my life inspiring people to do good or to do evil? Am I a good leader?

Jesus calls them “unmarked graves, on which people walk over without realising it” (Luke 11:44). What makes a person an unmarked grave? St. Paul answers this question in today’s first reading by listing these characteristics: “fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Why did Jesus address the Pharisees as fools? The Pharisees thought they could deceive God by their external show of religiosity. They dressed well and prayed in the marketplaces to attract the praise of men, but their hearts were “full of extortion and wickedness.” It is better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not.

Even though Jesus did not work any miracle, he promised them the greatest miracle of all time – the sign of Jonah. Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary, and on the third day, He rose again. This is the miracle of all miracles, the greatest sign that God took our human nature and lived among us. Anyone still doubting if Jesus is God is on their own.

Are you struggling to accept Jesus’s teachings? Does the cross seem too heavy for you? Ask God to help you. Prayer is the key. Jesus says: “With men, it is impossible.” Relying on your strength alone (intelligence, money, self-discipline, connections, etc.), you cannot be Christian. You must be connected to God through daily prayers to gain the strength to live out your Christian call. Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

Mary is blessed because she gave birth to Jesus but, more importantly, because she heard God’s word and obeyed it. She gave her fiat (I agree) to God when the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be God’s mother. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38). This is the same attitude Jesus expects of us when he said “blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

The people wanted to see a sign, a show of power, or a display like that of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, but Jesus didn’t put up any show. If you believe, you don’t need to see signs and wonders (proofs); if you don’t believe, a million signs will not convince you. Today’s Gospel passage begins with “Jesus had just cast out a demon.” Was this sign not enough for them?

Just as it would be foolish to trust that circumcision alone is enough for our salvation, it is foolish to assume that words enough are enough for prayer. Our words must be accompanied by faith that all things are possible with God. A deep trust in God must accompany our words. God is a Father who truly cares for his children and will go the extra mile to rescue us when we are in need.

Pretence is a virus we must delete from our lives. Secondly, when correcting others, avoid speaking behind their backs lest it becomes merely gossip and character assassination. By addressing God as our Father, Jesus shows us that we are God’s children, and this must be reflected in our behaviour. Every temptation (or trial) is a spiritual battle; if we are not fortified, we fall