DAILY HOMILIES

We remember St. Patrick today, a man who like Peter fully explored his spiritual potential making such a huge catch of souls in Ireland.

By his very life, Jesus showed us that the key to greatness is service. St. Paul says: Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant…. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Philippians 2:5-11). Serve others with gladness. God will lift you to greater heights.

Is there a contradiction between what I preach and what I do? Am living in pretense? Then as the prophet Isaiah says today: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doing from before my eyes, learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow…” (Isaiah 1:16ff).

Jesus taught us to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The essence of this perfection is loving our enemies.

Prayer is a dialogue, it is only complete when we can listen and hear from God after we have spoken to Him. Prayer teaches us obedience. God says: “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to Him.” The more prayerful we become, the more we are most likely enabled to obey the commandments of God.

In asking us to be perfect, Jesus wants us to be like God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rejoices at their repentance. Jesus wants us to pray for our enemies, that God would touch their hearts and bring about their conversion.

Has the past been painful? Then why are you still holding on to it?

The Israelites allowed their hunger to get into them. They said they wished they had died in the hands of the Egyptians. They quickly forgot what God had done for them in the past. When we pray, it is important to remind ourselves of what God has done, Jesus taught us to start our prayer with praise.

Imagine you have only forty days left to live on earth? How would you spend your last forty days? Wouldn’t you rather seek reconciliation with God?

Prayer is not just about asking, it also involves doing. Jesus makes clear the point: “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Jesus is saying to us today: “Whatsoever you do to the least (the smallest, the unimportant, the poorest, the minority, the outcast), that you do unto me.”

Just as every sin begins with a temptation, the struggle against sin begins with the ability to know how to deal with temptations. Hence, on this first Sunday of Lent, our Gospel passage narrates how Jesus succeeded in overcoming temptations in the wilderness.