DAILY HOMILIES

What have you left behind to follow Jesus? In other words, what is the cost of your discipleship? What do you have to let go to remain a Christian? If truly you have not left anything behind, it means your faith is a matter of convenience. The danger in this is that you could easily fall away in moments of trials. This explains why some Christians move from one “solution house” to another, not minding if they partake in idol worship. Christianity is not only about what we stand to gain from God; it is about carrying our crosses and following Jesus’ footsteps.

Today’s feast, the baptism of Jesus, marks the second significant moment of the revelation of Jesus’ divinity. Luke reports: “When Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee, I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21-22). All those present at the baptism of Jesus saw the dove and heard the voice from heaven. Like the Magi, they must have fallen on their faces to worship Jesus when they saw this mighty display of God.

Those who told John the Baptist that Jesus was now baptising were hoping it would make John the Baptist sad or bring about some form of competition, but to their amazement, John the Baptist was pleased to hear it. Whatever you do for your church, whether financially or physically, should never be about competition. It should never be to promote your name or your business; it should only be about increasing God’s kingdom.

After listening to the leper’s prayer, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying: “I will, be clean.” In other words, I desire your healing. I want you to be strong and healthy. Sickness, pain and misery do not glorify God. Avoid concluding that God does not care about your condition or that God is punishing you for your sins. Regardless of what you are going through, God only desires the best for you. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Some Christians say: “I just want to serve God and mind my business. I don’t need anybody. Let everyone be on their own.” Are we serving God when we are indifferent to the problems others are facing around us? In Luke 10:25-36, Jesus told the story of a man who was robbed and beaten to a pulp while travelling alone. A priest and a Levite saw this man half-dead and continued their way, but a Samaritan stopped, took him to an inn and treated his wounds. Which of these three worshipped God?

When we face troubles, challenges and difficulties, when things do not go as we planned, when we are tossed from all sides by the waves of disappointments, falsehood, failures, betrayals, setbacks, etc., we tend to ask questions such as, “God, where are you?” “Why me?” “Why this?” and “Why that?” Today, God says: “Even in your troubles, I am still with you.”

The next time you utter these words: “I love you”, make sure your definition of love aligns with what St. John describes in today’s first reading. Be sure that you are ready to die for this person, even if all you get back is hatred. On the other hand, if your definition of love is: “I want you” or “I want what you have”, you are only deceiving yourself.

To fill their churches, many preachers say: “God loves you as you are. Come the way you are.” This is why people now dress half-naked to church, and ushers now look like ladies working in nightclubs. This is why secular artists have taken over the music departments of our churches. Darkness and light cannot coexist. We cannot have darkness within us and claim fellowship with God. Don’t come as you are – change! Change to something better; you are coming into the King’s presence! This is not a social gathering. You are not here to sell your body. You are here to worship God.

Today’s feast is like a second Christmas, but slightly different. While we celebrated the birth of the baby Jesus on the 25th of December, we are celebrating today the realisation that God was born in human flesh. Today, we celebrate the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah as contained in our first reading: “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah 60:3).

St. John says: “The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:10). The children of the devil are never happy seeing others behave well. Also, the children of the devil do not love; they are always carrying hatred and bitterness in their hearts, always looking for an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy.

Believe that you can eliminate sin. Trust that you can completely overcome your bad habits with God on your side and continuous efforts. God wants to see your efforts. Remember the saying: “Practice makes perfect.” If you fail today, get up and try again. Try a different method. Just keep trying till you get over it. No one becomes a professional athlete, tech guru, etc. in days. It takes years of consistent practice.

Today, we celebrate two great saints, Basil and Gregory. Born in Caesarea, Cappadocia (Turkey) in 329, St. Basil followed the monastic way of life. As a powerful preacher, he vigorously fought the Arian heresy. Born in the same year (329), St. Gregory of Nazianzen was a friend of Basil and followed the monastic way of life for many years. He became the Patriarch of Constantinople and was a great theologian, defending the Catholic faith. Like John the Baptist, these two saints, bishops, outstanding theologians, and doctors of the Church prepared the way for the Lord. Does my behaviour prepare the way for Christ?