DAILY HOMILIES

Always allow God to do your fighting for you. Just as no one can fight God and succeed, you cannot win unless God is on your side. Seek first God’s kingdom and be fervent in prayer. God will do the rest for you.

The prayer of Jesus in today’s Gospel passage carries a lot of deep-seated messages. In fact, this prayer is both prophetic and instructive. Firstly, Jesus highlights the hatred of the world. St. Paul in today’s first reading mentions the fact that “fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock…” (Acts 20:29).

Imagine you died but God gave you a second chance to return to this world. How would you live your life? Let your answer guide your life from this moment. The best time to die is not necessarily at old age, it is when your time comes; when you have finished the race and fought the good fight. Stop procrastinating. Just begin!

Regardless of what you are facing now, take courage, be cheerful, smile. Know that Jesus has conquered already. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. There is nothing spiritual about being moody, annoyed or depressed.

If it were possible to summarize the words of Jesus in last Sunday's Gospel passage, it would be John 15:12 which reads: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus wants us to continue His mission of saving the world by replicating His sacrificial love, especially for our enemies. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus prays for us. In this prayer, Jesus expresses His desires for the Church and also reveals our identity and mission further

If you do not believe that your prayers are capable of changing anything, then you are yet to understand the meaning of prayer. The deeper your confidence in the power and effectiveness of even a single line of prayer, the more you see the result in your life.

Nevertheless, if we fail to fulfil the purpose of our election by God, we would be replaced. This is what plays out in the election of St. Matthias whose feast we celebrate today. His election teaches us a crucial lesson: no matter how good you think we are, there would always be someone who can take your place. Avoid pride.

Every one of us has a special gift. If we do not rightfully employ our gifts for the work of ministry and for the building up of the body of Christ, we would be failing to lead lives worthy of our call. Furthermore, if we decide to employ our gifts for the sole purpose of entertainment or money-making avenues, we would be deviating from God’s plan for us.

Indeed, it is impossible to have the Holy Spirit in you (the Spirit of Truth) and still remain adamant in telling of lies. Once you tell a lie, the Holy Spirit speaking through your conscience will not let you rest. That is if you still have the Holy Spirit in you.

In our first reading, Paul and Silas found themselves in prison for doing the work of God. Rather than fall into despair, they burst into singing and praying. At midnight, there was a great manifestation of the Holy Spirit. All the prison doors were opened and the chains of all the prisoners there were unfastened.

If we must witness at all for Christ, then we need the Holy Spirit; He is the Principal Agent of Evangelization. As Paul and his companions traveled, they were successful not because of their eloquence or knowledge, but as a result of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of their listeners.

So, how do we win quality souls for God’s kingdom? Our three readings today speak in favour of love; loving without discrimination, loving our enemies and loving others just as Jesus loved us.