DAILY HOMILIES

Elisha, like Solomon, was given a blank cheque to ask for anything. He could have asked for riches, long life or the death of his enemies, but he asked for a double share of Elijah’s spirit. When I pray, what do I ask for?

God is merciful, but we must first acknowledge our faults and beg for His forgiveness to access His mercy. If Ahab tried to justify his actions or cast blame like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he would have died that day. There is no short supply of mercy in God’s reservoir; the problem is our refusal to ask for it – the problem is our pride.

Whatever is not yours always has more appeal than what belongs to you. If you think you are missing something by not having what this person has, remember that life is not a competition. We brought nothing to this world, and, at death, we will relinquish everything. Avoid sleepless nights over things you do not have; you probably will not value them even if they become yours.

Jesus tells us that a man scatters the seed on the ground and goes to sleep only to see the seed growing. How this happens, he does not know. In other words, it is not for us to know how the Word works; all we have to do is scatter the seed and let God do the rest.

God is truth; since no one can fight God, no one can fight, hide, or suppress the truth. Somehow and someday, the truth must come out. There is no need to swear at all. Truth is capable of testifying to itself. Let what you say be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

The contents of your mind today mirror what your life will be like tomorrow. To create anything, that thing has to first exist in your mind (imagination); our minds have creative power. We can choose what becomes of us simply by choosing our thoughts.

It is one thing to let your light shine, but it is a different thing to pretend to attract the praise and admiration of others. When we truly let our light shine, we do it for God, but when we pretend to be pious, we do it just for ourselves, and we get no reward from God.

God is not interested in quantity; He wants quality. Jesus came to save millions of people, but He chose only twelve disciples. Do not be overwhelmed by the size of your opposition. You might be the only person against a crowd, but with God on your side, you are bigger than the crowd.

While others were scared of Paul because they judged him as a bad person who later became a Christian, Barnabas saw in Paul a very good man who had a bad past. In this way, Barnabas acted as the salt of the earth, as Jesus instructs in today’s Gospel passage. Just as salt preserves food (prevents it from going stale), Barnabas helped to preserve whatever good was in Saul until he became Paul.

Your reward is great in heaven, but it begins here on earth. Don’t be afraid; God sends His consolations when He knows we are suffering on His behalf. God sent Angels to console Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. God did not wait for Elijah to die before sending ravens to feed him. It is said that ravens are the stingiest birds on earth, yet of all the other animals on earth, it was ravens that God chose. This teaches us that God makes a way where there seems to be no way.

The sad reality is that just as the Jews did not believe (even Jesus’ disciples doubted), many Christians today still cannot pick a side as to what they believe - whether the devil or God. Some of us still fear the devil more than God. We must ask ourselves: Which kingdom do I belong to? If I say I belong to God, do I live by the principles of God’s kingdom?

Mary knew when to speak and when to be silent. In today’s Gospel passage, Mary “treasured everything in her heart.” She practised contemplative prayer, which some saints have described as the most perfect form.