DAILY HOMILIES

Never fall into the temptation of taking the easy path. In life, there are no short-cuts. Can you imagine being operated upon in a life or death situation by a doctor who cheated his way through school? Just as there is always a price to pay, there is a prize (reward) that comes with every suffering we face in life.

Jeremiah teaches us a very important lesson in today’s first reading. He did not pray for the death of his enemies, neither did he command God to send down fire to consume them.

St. Joseph too is a kind of Abraham in that he believed the message of the Angel and agreed to be the earthly father of Jesus Christ, this way giving credence to the prophecy of Nathan which we read about in today’s first reading. An offspring from the house of David whose house shall be established forever.

Dear friends, let us always seek to please God rather than people. You may not be popular, don’t worry; people may not like you, no problem; even your neighbours or your family members may hate you, rejoice and be glad, your reward is great in heaven.

Dear friends, let us always seek to please God rather than people. You may not be popular, don’t worry; people may not like you, no problem; even your neighbours or your family members may hate you, rejoice and be glad, your reward is great in heaven.

And just as Peter obeyed the word of Jesus to cast his net into the sea, we would all be surprised what we are capable of doing, if only we decide to obey God’s words every day of our life.

Jesus saw a lot of people there but his attention was drawn to this man because he had been there for a very long time. The truth is that even our problems are “blessings” in disguise. I believe God will never allow us to face a difficult challenge unless He intends to bring something good out of it.

Stop complaining and look out for the silver lining in your cloud. Start thanking God instead, start expecting better. The words of Jesus “ask and you will receive…” are still true. (Matthew 7:7)

If God so loved us that for our sake He allowed His only Son, Jesus to die as an atonement for our reconciliation and renewal of the covenant with Him, it means we would be totally ungrateful if we continue to walk in darkness rather than embrace the light.

Knowing the weaknesses of others should not make us puffed with pride, it should make us think of ways to help them up. This requires humility; humility to know that your level in life came not by your power but by the grace of God and others who helped you in the past.

As the scribe said: “to love our neighbour as ourselves is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” If the love of God is not in our hearts, if there is hatred against others in our hearts, then our singing and dancing in church, our rolling up and down, our speaking in tongues and so on, are all useless.

We may claim to be Christians, we may even hold high positions in the Church but with falsehood still reigning in our lives, we are actually acting against Christ and scattering the flock of God’s kingdom.