DAILY HOMILIES

Instead of allowing the truth to cure their pride, they turned against Jesus, intending to throw Him off the cliff. Their action did not nullify the bitter truth. Salvation is not hereditary, nor is it automatic. Indeed, the fact that I am a Catholic does not qualify me for heaven; it is the way I live that counts.

To avoid self-deception, Jesus says, “First, clean the inside of the cup.” In other words, the first step to becoming His true followers is to look honestly at ourselves, acknowledge the dirt within our hearts, and clean them up. The problem is that, like the scribes and Pharisees Jesus condemned, we always try to do the opposite; we clean the outside and abandon the inside.

Rather than engage in useless competitions with one another or expend energy fighting for equality (a fight that will never end), rather than engage in the “pull-him-down” games we play often, there is much peace that comes with realising it is not what we have that counts but how we manage it.

To be wise spiritually is to trust little in your wealth, current status, education, connections, and devotional practices. To be wise is to have a backup, something extra, to hold on to should everything else fail. To be wise, you have to have some extra oil.

Herod was not thinking straight when he promised even half his kingdom to a little girl. What if she had asked for his head? Think before you speak. Be a master of your emotions. In moments of anger, hold it. In moments of excitement, hold it also. Learn the habit of speaking to God and hearing from him before talking.

No matter how good you think you are, be open to criticism. Do not surround yourself with sycophants. Cherish and appreciate those who have different opinions; there is always something to learn and something you can improve on. Only a true friend will tell you to your face that you are going the wrong way.

Jesus did not condemn tithing; He said it is less important than justice, mercy, and faith. This means that on the last day, God will never ask why you refused to pay your tithes. Instead, He will ask you why you failed to practice justice, mercy and faith. We will be judged for failing to feed the hungry, giving drinks to the thirsty, visiting the sick and the prisoners, etc. If you do not feel like tithing or you do not believe in it, you are not sinning.

Only a true friend will tell you the truth about yourself. Many preachers (pastors, priests, church leaders, etc.) wallow in darkness because they have surrounded themselves with praise singers. We, men of God, believe we are perfect because everyone respects us, and since no one is bold enough to correct us, we no longer see anything wrong with our sinful behaviours.

Dear friends, if all that Jesus came to do for us was to provide for our material needs, why did Jesus allow the crowds to leave Him? If all that Jesus came to do was to remove poverty from our lives, why did He say we would always have the poor among us? (Cf. Matthew 26:11). Do not make the mistake of this crowd. Let it never be that you only worship God for the passing things of this Life. As St. Paul says: “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

The way and manner in which we become converted vary. Some people’s conversions were rather dramatic, some not so. The “how” is not so important. What matters is that at some point in our lives, we become true Christians, true followers of Jesus, and fully convinced about Jesus. And one way we know we are converted is when we stop being shy about spreading the Good News.

Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones shows us that there can be dead cases as far as our life is concerned. We can always change; there is always room for repentance. We can never be too old to start learning again. Why is it that it can never be too late for God? His steadfast love never ceases; His mercies endure forever. God’s mercies are new every morning. As we often sing: “Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord. Great is thy faithfulness.”

The man who came in without a wedding garment symbolises many Christians who take God for granted today: Christians who abuse the sacrament of penance, Christians who do not believe that God has a say in what they do with their bodies, Christians who are wolves in sheep clothing; Christians who try to eat their cake and still have it at the same time. Salvation is free but not cheap.