DAILY HOMILIES

Yes, we are soldiers. And the war we fight is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. Just as the war is not a physical one, the weapons of this particular war are not also physical. To succeed in this war, we must first realize that we are on a battleground.

To be a Christian is to be born again; it is dying to something old and taking up a new identity and this new identity entails that we see ourselves as St. Paul describes; fellow citizens with the saints in heaven, pillars of God’s house where the Apostles and Prophets are part of the foundation.

Quarrels and fights in marriage are like grains of mustard seed. When these fights are not forgiven, they pile up in our memories little by little and before you know it, they affect the quality of our love for our spouse.

Are you bent over spiritually because of your sins? As a child of Abraham, is Satan still holding you captive preventing you from letting your light shine? Does immorality reign in your life? It is time to get close to Jesus today to free you from bondage.

While we must condemn stealing in very strong terms, the fact is that there is a lot of hunger in our land occasioned by a lack of sensitivity to the plights of the poor, the youths, the widows, orphans and the needy. And this is precisely the message contained in today’s readings.

Note that Jesus is not supporting what Pilate did instead Jesus seizes the occasion to teach us that sin is bad and when you really consider what Jesus’ statement, you would notice that it also includes the sin of Pilate as well. Like He did on the occasion of the woman caught in the act of adultery, Jesus has a way of bringing us all to terms with our sins rather than simply pointing fingers or casting stones at particular individuals.

As Christians, we must constantly ask ourselves: “Am I the person God expects me to be?” St. Paul, writing from prison, begs us today to lead a life worthy of our calling. And this entails that certain qualities are found in us – meekness, patience, forbearance, eagerness to maintain unity in one God.

Today, we hear Jesus saying that He has not come to bring peace but division and that He has come to cast fire upon the earth. What type of fire is Jesus talking about? As Moses witnessed in Burning Bush, this fire is one that burns but does not consume. It is a fire of the love for God in our hearts which makes us prioritize God over everything and everyone else. This is a fire that purifies us of our attachment to people as well as the things of this world.

You do not wait till you are close to the grave before you begin to form new habits or try to live a holy life. The best time to begin is NOW. Today is another opportunity that God has given you to be better than yesterday. Today is another chance to stretch forth your potential for virtue because you have so much good inside of you that is yet to be explored.

When we are able to conquer lust in our flesh and our lives become lights to the world, we become those servants ready for their Master. You only begin to live when you are no longer afraid of dying. This is because, by then, you would have discovered your true life.

To be covetous is to live in a special world; a world of I, me and myself; a world where I care only for one person – me. To be covetous is to refuse to give others their due like the case of the man whose brother had to run to Jesus because he did not give him a share of their father’s inheritance.

When we say the Church is missionary by nature, we mean it exists to “make disciples of all nations.” When we say the Church is missionary by nature, we mean that as members of the Church, everything we do is part of this process of making disciples. In other words, we are either letting our light shine or further increasing the darkness of sin and evil in our world. An example of darkness in our world today is police brutality, extortion, oppression and corruption which has triggered protests by youths in cities across Nigeria.