DAILY HOMILIES

God is not pleased with the Proud. God does not recognize those who believe that they are self-made; those who live as if God is not necessary; those who never go down on their knees to pray; those who consider going to church as a waste of time; those who depend on themselves or on other people rather than God. One quality of proud people is that they consider Thanksgiving a waste of time or money.

Like Jesus Christ, we all have two names; one which appears on our certificates and one which defines who we are. Although the names we bear may vary, the kind of life we live must reflect our real identity - Christianity. People should not only call us Christians; they must also see Christ in us.

Be careful of who you laugh at! God can shock you. Why should you even be laughing at your fellow human being? Who are you to write someone off? Why label a person with their painful condition? So, because this guy is always calling to ask for help, you saved his number with “begi-begi-beggar? Watch out oh!

Are you scared? Are you troubled? Who has threatened you? Have you heard something in the news that makes your heart shake like the trees of the forest? What is it that troubles you? There is one message for you today. It is contained in the name of Emmanuel; the God you serve is not far away, He is with you. He sees He knows, He understands and He has every power, every wisdom, and everything needed to handle the situation.

Our Gospel passage today contains a lot of names; these are the ancestral line of Judah. Not every person in this genealogy was outstanding, in fact, some of them were terrible sinners who did unthinkable things. What does this tell us? That God can work through anybody. Stop looking down on yourself. Every saint had a past and every sinner has a future. Say Yes to God today and let your past pass.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” We all are called to be like John the Baptist this advent. Our lives should become lights pointing the whole world toward the child Jesus

As great as John the Baptist was, we hear Jesus saying today: “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist.” What does this mean? That heaven is so different from this world and the standards of judgment or ranking are not like what we see here on earth. Let’s face the fact, heaven is not an easy place to get to. No wonder Jesus asserted in Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door...

If actions speak louder than words, we are called to examine ourselves today. What sort of things are our actions proclaiming about us? What are my actions in preparing for Christmas saying about my understanding of Jesus Christ?

Have I been praying for something for so long that I now fail to realize that God has already answered my prayer? What is it that I am looking down upon now that I ought to be grateful for?

A prophecy may take time to materialize, but as long as it is coming from God and not merely from one’s imagination, it must happen. Quite sadly, we live in an age of fake prophets; prophets who see visions according to the size of people’s pockets.

There would be moments of pain we cannot escape, tears we must cry, losses we must make, and deaths we must die. These are planting seasons. They must come and they must go. If the farmer eats all his seed and fails to “sacrifice” some for planting, there would be nothing to eat in the next season. Thank God for your adversity. Whatever it is that you are going through right now is working for your good. (Cf. Romans 8:28)

Jesus is God in the midst of people. We have no reason to doubt that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. Every single prophecy about Jesus came to pass; even those that were made thousands of years before he was born. We do not need any further proof. Jesus is Truly God.