DAILY HOMILIES

Contentment is a decision; a decision to focus only on those things you are grateful for. It is ignoring your problems and praising God as though you had no problems. It is choosing to accept your life as it is knowing that God only permits what is best for you to happen to you.

St. Paul beautifully summarizes all that we have said so far when he writes in our second reading: “Put off your old nature which is corrupt through deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit, put on the new nature created in the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

One lesson we must learn from the action of Herod is to avoid speaking when we are super-excited. Avoid making promises when you are in a good mood. Words are powerful.

When you do something continuously for a while, you soon begin to take it for granted. It is not surprising to see many Christians today who do not believe in the power of prayers anymore; Christians who look down on God and on His ability to intervene in their lives. Even though most of us pray, we do not even expect the things we pray for.

Today we remember Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Three of them were special friends of Jesus who made their home holy by constantly welcoming Jesus and his disciples. Jesus loved spending time with them. Is Jesus welcome in my home?

Like the pearl of great value a man found, the time you spend alone with God is of greater value than anything else in life. Nothing else matters.

Leadership is not easy but there is a secret to being successful at it: PRAYER. As a man, Moses was very weak; he lacked physical strength having passed his youthful age. He was a meek person, he couldn’t speak coherently and with confidence (hence the need for Aaron).

In our Gospel passage, Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a mustard seed that appears to be the smallest of all seeds but eventually becomes the biggest of all shrubs. A good character begins with little habitual acts. To become the person of your dreams, you have to start with very few acts of goodness and holiness.

Never assume you are too small or that you can’t do much. Help one person today. Break a little from your little and watch what happens.

God believes that people can change so He keeps giving second chances again and again. God knows that in punishing the sinner, the saint suffers alongside. God allows the sinner to be but the day of harvest must surely come.

Like one lost in a strange land, the Israelites were really lost when they found themselves in the middle of nowhere in the desert. When God gave these commandments, he actually provided a map; a map towards achieving wisdom, joy, enlightenment, and long life.

When Jesus died, it was as though all hope was lost. It was like a confirmation that Jesus was just a man after all. Everyone went their separate ways but Mary Magdalene still returned to the tomb.