DAILY HOMILIES

All these arguments about the Blessed Virgin Mary, the use of images in the church, the number of books in the Bible, etc. etc., what good has it done? You ask if I have given my life to Christ, and I tell you I am a Catholic, the next thing, you start trying to convince me that I will go to hell. You don’t believe in my doctrines, does that stop you from loving me as your fellow Christian? Why this hatred and animosity in our hearts?

Jesus does not pray that we should be taken out of the world. Jesus prays that we should be protected from the evil one. Even though we wrestle against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12), we are rest assured of God’s protection. We do not wrestle as victims but as victors, because Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33). Do not fear.

When you live well, you lose the fear of death. Paul was not afraid to die. He said: “you will see my face no more.” At only 33 years old, Jesus prayed: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do… I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world…” By every standard, Jesus died at a very young age but he died a fulfilled person. In Jesus, we learn that a fulfilled life is not measured by the number of one’s days but by the quality of those days.

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. You cannot have the Holy Spirit in you and remain sad and miserable because the Holy Spirit must bear fruit in you. The joy the Holy Spirit gives us that which remains regardless of whatever trials or tribulations we may encounter in life.

Dear friends, every time we celebrate the Mass, we join Jesus and His disciples in the Upper Room; the place where God comes to meet ordinary humans. It is important to mention that it was in this same Upper Room that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost. When next you are present at mass, know that you are in the Upper Room; the most powerful room on earth.

The deeper your confidence in the power and effectiveness of even a single line of prayer, the more you see the result in your life. Make sure you reflect on every word you utter during prayer, know that whatever you say is heard by God; know that prayer works, prayer changes things.

Happiness on earth may be limited but the happiness above is totally unlimited. If we do not experience happiness as we so desire, let us not give up on God or attempt to seek happiness in sin. The devil cannot give what he does not have; it may seem as if we are enjoying for a while but soon it dawns on us that we have been deceived. Child of God, sorrow may last in the night but joy comes in the morning. Never Give up on God!

Today should be a day of joy for us, a day to celebrate the final victory of life over death, a day to celebrate our firm assurance that heaven exists, that just as Christ ascended to heaven, we too shall one day depart this earth and be united with God in heaven. Immediately after the ascension, the disciples entered a mood of prayer in preparation for the Holy Spirit. This is exactly what we must do now.

The Athenians did not accept Paul because they couldn’t face the truth. They acknowledged their ignorance by making an Altar with the inscription: “To an unknown god,” but when Paul tried to clear their ignorance, they resisted him. Truly, there are some people who know they are ignorant yet they remain satisfied in their ignorance

The Christian life is not easy but there is always a way out; singing and praying are two things we can do anytime and our situation will definitely change for the better. Do not be sorrowful. The Steadfast Love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness O, Lord.

Today, Jesus Christ calls us his witnesses. We are to work side by side with the Holy Spirit in spreading the truth about him to the world. The question is: How are we to be his witnesses if we are yet to understand him fully? How can we talk to people about Jesus without first talking to Jesus himself? How are we to stand up for him, if we are not convinced about him as the answer to the world’s deepest yearnings? How can we witness to him if we do not abide in the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God dwelling in us, speaking in the depths of our hearts and making the impossible possible in our lives. We must pray every day for a renewal of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we may live not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.