DAILY HOMILIES

To be self-controlled is to be able to say “no” to the impulses of the flesh regardless of how strong the temptations may be. To be self-controlled is the ability to act right no matter what one feels inside. Self-control or self-discipline is not something we acquire from the blues, it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; that is to say, self-control is one of the manifestations of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us

To say a building or any object at all is dedicated to God is to say such can never be used for any other purpose other than for God. This is because, by the act of dedication, it becomes God’s dwelling in a special sense. Note that everything already belongs to God but then, a dedicated Church building is no longer an ordinary building; it is a place to meet God, a place to pray, a place of security and peace from the troubles of the world.

As much as purity of heart (or virginity) is required for attaining heaven, Jesus points out today, another very essential element; wisdom. In the parable of ten virgins, Jesus shows us that purity without wisdom is useless. The foolish virgins made mistakes. What were these mistakes and how do we avoid them?

In this parable, Jesus was not talking about whether what the steward did was right or wrong rather His point of emphasis was the fact that the steward prepared for his dismissal. The steward may have been dishonest but he was wise enough to make friends while he still had a chance.

Like the steward, our very life on earth is limited; someday we shall be dismissed. So the question is: “What efforts am I making to ensure that there would be people to receive me at the doors of heaven after my “dismissal”?

We often assume the church should be a place for holy people only but in reality, the church is also a hospital for the sick; a hospital that is always in need of good doctors. If we all walk away, who will save the dying?

Without adequate preparation, we are hardly guaranteed success in any venture. He who fails to plan actually plans to fail. If you rush into something without adequate and careful preparation, you would soon find yourself rushing out soon. I did not consider or assume there was a huge price to pay in the long run. Whatever is good comes at a price, even being a Christian comes at a cost and this explains why many who started so well give up along the line. Have I ever taken time to consider the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ?

The great challenge of the Christian faith today is that those who fill up our churches live as though God does not exist. We seek God’s blessings but we shun His counsel, we refuse to operate according to the mind of Christ. We are practical unbelievers; we don’t even believe it is possible to live holy and sinless lives, yet we claim to believe God for miracles of abundance and prosperity coming our way.

In the end, what we actually celebrate today is HOPE. Hope that as we pray for the dead, they will enter heaven, hope that if they are in heaven, they will pray for us. Hope that one day, when we too depart, there would be people around here praying for us

The truth is that there are more saints in heaven than we know of. As John says in our first reading today, the Saints are a “great multitude which no man can number.” Today’s feast is particularly interesting because it affords us the opportunity to celebrate thousands of unknown saints and those we never imagined are in heaven.

The easiest way to detect pride is when you begin to assume that no one is as good, holy, wealthy, knowledgeable or important as you are. When you assume you are the best, it means you have become blind to the existence of anyone better than you.

Jesus knew the Pharisees were not all in good terms with Him. He knew they sought ways to trap him. He knew their deep-seated hatred yet He went to eat in their homes. Jesus called them hypocrites (white-washed tombs) but He never distanced Himself from them. As a Good Shepherd, Jesus did not mind walking into the “lion’s den” to rescue the lost sheep.