DAILY HOMILIES

If Stephen had set out to work for the food which perishes, he would have backed out when he saw the threat to his life, he would have denied Jesus or run away but he chose to fix his gaze instead in heaven.

At the conclusion of the Bible Study with the apostles, Jesus said: “… that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:46-48). Peter says the same thing in our first reading: “… To this, we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15)

Know this, no matter what your fears may be, never neglect Prayer and Bible Study. You may have to get down to work but no matter how much work you do, never assume you can get busier than God. He knows what you are going through and He is more than capable of rescuing you.

For instance, you crossed the street to buy a packet of sachet water and came back unhurt. You continued your daily activities in your home as usual. Little did you know that if you had crossed ten seconds earlier, you would have been hit by a stray bullet. God did something for you without you even knowing.

In our Gospel passage today, Jesus says to Nicodemus. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God rests upon him.” (John 3:36). Peter must have born this statement in mind when we said: “We must obey God rather than men.”

Even when it seems as though the enemy is succeeding, fear not, God knows how to fight for His Children. God never turns His back on us so long as we remain faithful to Him. The Lord is my shepherd, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Once upon a time, a rich young man asked Jesus about the secret of inheriting eternal life. Ultimately, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor after which, he could return to follow Jesus. It is interesting to note that this group of believers literally kept this instruction, they sold their possessions, brought them together and were united in one heart and soul.

Anytime we reflect on the earliest Christian communities as we have it in the Acts of Apostles, we cannot but feel sad at the situation of things in our churches today.

Jesus had the chance to totally squash to pieces all those who treated him badly yet, He did not even wait to rise from the dead before He began his campaign of forgiveness. Right on the cross, Jesus said: “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). As if this was not enough, eight days after Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to his disciples saying: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

ur world today needs men and women like Peter who are not afraid of proclaiming the truth with boldness and determination. Men and women who are never discouraged regardless of the resistance they face to the Gospel of Christ.

Dear friends, we may be successful in business, in academics, in whatever area of life, but if we don’t have Jesus, we are nothing! In fact, God can allow us to fail in these other aspects of life just to draw us to Himself, to show us that He alone is all we need.

As with the two disciples walking away from Jerusalem in utter disappointment, the eleven disciples who were filled with fear and worry, the cure for their problem was a sound Bible Study which Jesus freely provided.