DAILY HOMILIES

Just as darkness hates the light, so do the people of the world hate the children of God but we cannot afford to be quiet or compromise. We must always remember the fact that we do not belong to this world, that is, we must be prepared to die for the sake of God.

When we try to let our shine, let us not assume people will love us. When we dedicate our social media accounts to purely spreading the Gospel of Christ, let us not expect to gain many followers. Instead, let us expect attacks of all sorts. But we must remember one thing: THE BATTLE BELONGS TO GOD.

Our first reading today is a reminder to us that the greatest of all of God’s commandments is to love our neighbours as ourselves. Love cancels our selfishness. Love melts our hearts to live not just for ourselves but for others. Love opens our eyes to see the sufferings of others and touches our heart to offer solutions.

he principle at work back then was: “When one member suffers, all suffer with him or her.” Does this principle still operate in our churches today? Do we still gather to pray for ourselves? Or have we become too busy to pray? Do we still have faith in the power of prayers?

Be an agent of Divine Mercy; show love to that brother or sister that is genuinely in need. God blessed you not to “pepper others” (show them that you have arrived) but to be a blessing to others. that which you have in excess belongs to the hungry, the less privileged, the hopeless, etc.

Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Peter and John were ready to face whatever comes their way in their proclamation of the Good News. Are you still scared of what people can do to you? Are you scared of letting your light shine? Ask yourself – If I am so scared of dying, is it possible to preserve my life for another hundred years?

Can you possibly be disobedient to God and still expect to be successful in what you do? Can you abandon your calling in life and still hope to find happiness and fulfillment?

Don’t witness a miracle without taking a moment to ponder on your life and repent. Do not simply laugh or clap and then walk away – do not be like the power of Chorazin or Bethsaida that Jesus was not happy with because they witnessed His miracles but refused to turn from their sins.

If you know what you have, you would not get involved in sin just to make money or provide for your family. You know that you only need to pray like Peter and God will bless the works of your hands and reward your sweat with success. If you know what you have, you wouldn’t be like the two disciples who were walking away from Jerusalem in disappointment. They had thought Jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom, they were expecting political power...

Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus but she thought he was the gardener. For a moment, she was blind to reality staring her in the face. Jesus visits us daily but we hardly recognize Him. Recall the words of the sixth station of the Cross – “Can you be brave enough to wipe my face? ‘Where is your face?’ you may ask me, and I will answer: ‘In the streets, traffic jams, the remote and dirty villages, wherever suffering exists, my face is there and I look for you to wipe away my blood and tears.”

Lies are destructive. Every time we tell a lie, we are taking sides with the devil whose very nature is that of telling lies. No amount of money is worth selling our lips or selling our conscience. No amount of lies can bury the truth. If we continue telling lies, it means we are refusing to rise from the grave with Jesus.

If we all chose to return to our old ways after today, if nothing changes about our lives, if we do not start seeking things above rather than engage in the blind pursuit of money, power and pleasure, then all our Lenten observances would have been in vain. If we do not rise from a life of sin, then it would seem that Christ has not risen from the dead and our proclamation would be empty words.