DAILY HOMILIES

By “raising your head high”, Jesus wants us to remain faithful like Daniel, who refused to be intimidated by the threat of being fed to the lions. This is not the time to stay away from the church. This is not the time to relax in your prayer life. Prayer itself is power. Whether or not you get what you are asking for, learn to enjoy prayer. Cherish the moments you spend with God. Daniel went so far as to open his windows so that everyone could see clearly that he didn’t stop praying.

Belshazzar knew what those vessels were meant for, but he attempted to challenge God’s existence. This experience teaches us to avoid taking God for granted. The fact that God is silent does not mean He is weak. God is a merciful father; He is also a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 reads, “For our God is a consuming fire.” Deuteronomy 4:24 says, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” Psalm 18:8 says, “Smoke rose from his nostrils, and consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.”

While Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was about the future, we also see Jesus, in our Gospel passage, discussing the future: the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the rise of many false prophets claiming they are the Christ. This teaches us one lesson: The only person who knows the future is the one who is already in the future – God. Humans can only guess based on calculations from the past.

The fact that “everybody is doing it” does not make it right. Stay true to your beliefs. By prioritising Him, God did not fail Daniel and his friends. Learn to give God His proper honour, and He will never let you down. Even if others mock or call you names, remain steadfast and different.

Amid the killings we are experiencing in our country today, someone asked me, “Where was Christ when some armed men went into a church in Kwara State during worship, killed three persons and kidnapped others? If Christ is king of the universe, can He not stop this violence in the country?” I answered, quoting the words of Christ, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36)

Jesus explains that we will be like the angels in the resurrection – pure spirits who would not need to marry or have children. Jesus quoted from the Scriptures to support his point. He directed them to the passage where Moses encountered the burning bush. The Sadducees were familiar with that passage, but they never fully grasped its implications. He is God, not of the dead but of the Living.

If you are not fired up like Eleazer, the seven brothers and their mother, Matatthaias, or Judas and his brothers, or even like Jesus (who cleansed the temple), then something is seriously wrong. Fight for morality, fight for truth, fight for justice, fight for the Christian faith.

One of the Beatitudes states: “Blessed are those who mourn.” Learn to mourn over sin. Mourn the widespread immorality in our society. If you do not mourn the spread of evil, you will soon find yourself justifying it and even accepting it as usual. Cultivate righteous anger; do everything within your power to prevent the proliferation of sin.

Being wealthy is not a sin, but when one’s wealth stems from rejecting God, such riches are worthless. If your income comes from disobeying God’s commandments, engaging in illegal activities, or even worse, taking lives, you have prioritised riches above God. It is better to be content with little than to find comfort in ill-got gains. It is preferable to face persecution than to risk losing your soul for money.

Are you a leader in any capacity? Do you have people looking up to you as their mentor? Reflect on Eleazer’s words, “Such pretence is not worthy of our time of life lest… I defile and disgrace my old age.” Do you know how upsetting it can be when you discover that your role model is not as holy as he has presented himself? Temptations to sin must surely come. Please do not become the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

In our Gospel passage, Jesus heals a man who, though physically blind, refused to settle for less. This man was not the only person in Israel with this impairment, but he received his healing because he stood out from the crowd. When Jesus initially ignored him, he refused to be silenced by the crowd; he refused to accept the status quo. He did not keep quiet even when the crowd made him appear small and unimportant. He called out to Jesus as loudly as he could until Jesus noticed him.

Whether we face persecution or not, we cannot escape death and God’s judgment. Malachi reminds us that while evildoers will stumble, those who fear God will rise to eternal life. Our Psalmist declares, “God judges with fairness.” Surely, God cannot be bribed or threatened into delivering false judgment, a phenomenon we are used to in this country.