DAILY HOMILIES

Jesus refused to bow to satan at the offer of all the kingdoms and riches of the world. (Cf. Luke 4:6-7). The truth is that satan continues to tempt God’s Ministers even to this day.

Even the very act of narrating your own sins forces you to look inwards. Healing begins by admitting your faults and recognizing there are areas you need to work on to become a better person.

Mary remains a model in terms of how we are to deal with pain. This is why whenever we are sorrowful, we should run to her maternal embrace. Mary who felt the pain of the couple at the wedding feast, when they ran out of wine, would surely speak to her son Jesus on our behalf when things are not going right for us.

Just as the people looked up at the serpent for healing, so also we look up at the Cross of Jesus for healing.

The Centurion wanted Jesus to simply utter a word. He knew that distance was not a barrier. Indeed, the centurion knew that Jesus is the commander in charge of the universe.

When we read in Jeremiah 29:11 that God has plans for us, we must bear in mind that part of that plan is that at some point, we would undergo some amount of suffering.

If we truly examine ourselves, we would arrive at the ugly truth – that we are not as good as think we are – that we are not different from the rest of men – that if given the same opportunities and circumstances, we would even do worse.

It is funny how we expect from others the very things we do not have. It is funny how we crucify others and ridicule them publicly for crimes that we do in secret.

What makes a Christian different from any other human being on earth? Jesus Christ says: ‘Love your enemies.’ You are not better than any sinner if you only love those who love you.

Mary is not a goddess, she is a woman whose life serves as an inspiration for anyone who wants to follow God. She is a human example of what it means to be a Christian. Say ‘Yes’ to God. Let God have His way in your life and generations to come will honour you.

For Jesus to have chosen these very persons after an all-night consultation shows that God’s ways are not our ways. In truth, even the “foolishness” of God is wiser than the highest human wisdom.

Hatred is deadly. The feeling of hatred makes you blind to the good in others. Hatred makes you criticize everything in everybody. Hatred takes away your happiness. The scribes and Pharisees could not rejoice at the healing of the man with a withered hand instead they started plotting to kill Jesus. Hatred literally turns us into little devils.