DAILY HOMILIES

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10). Fear not. Pray with faith.

Pretense (unholy diplomacy) is a virus that we all need to delete from our lives. It is also important to point out the fact that Paul did not go about talking about Peter behind his back but addressed Peter to his face. If you lack the courage to tell people their faults to their face, better keep quiet and pray for them. Do not be a coward.

Only one thing is needed: Faith. Mary has chosen the good portion; to sit at Jesus’ feet in prayer and adoration, to listen carefully to Jesus’ words by meditating on the Bible, to trust deeply that in the midst of the chaos, we can afford to sit still with Jesus.

Helping others is not some leisure activity we do when we are in the mood. It is a COMMAND. If all we do is amuse ourselves and gossip about the misfortunes of others, then we are not truly Christians. Jesus played Good Samaritan when he decided to be born as a man to live among us and die for our sake. We must do likewise.

Faith is not for the good times only. Faith is that which sustains us in bad times. According to St. Augustine: “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” It is not easy to live a righteous life when things are not going smoothly in your life but do not forget that faith is patience. Trust that God will never leave you forsaken. Never give up on God.

As we celebrate our independence today as a country, today is also an opportunity to remind ourselves of our dual citizenship; the fact that we are not just Nigerians but Christians as well. And as St. Paul would tell us in our second reading today, because Christ died on the cross, he has broken the dividing wall that separated nations.

Jesus said: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (Luke 10:13). Do I believe in only receiving from God and I do not make efforts to drop my baggage of sins? God is not happy with me.

Angels reveal to us the power of God at work in the midst of men. They represent a dimension of reality that reason alone cannot grasp. Just as Nathanael couldn’t understand how Jesus was able to see him under the fig tree, we cannot fully understand how the angels work but we know that they are real.

Surely, there are so many good things we get to enjoy for being Christians but our worship of God should not be predicated on these things. We are Christians not because of what we stand to gain from God but because we Love God. As such, even when we don’t receive anything or when misfortunes come our way, we must remain faithful.

Can you imagine what our world would look like if God answered such prayers? Be careful of the type of prayer you utter when you are angry. Avoid the error of James and John. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus gave us an example by praying for forgiveness (not consuming fire) for those who killed him.

No matter how powerful or rich we have become (as lay persons or priests), let us never forget we brought nothing to this world. _We are nothing but pencils in the hands of the creator._

Consider a privilege each time you meet someone poor or in need of your help, and treat them with kindness even if they are not strong enough to ask for your help. If you have what you need, remember that whatever is extra doesn’t belong to you. You are blessed to bless others.