DAILY HOMILIES #Amos

When we are guilty, the truth sounds like an insult or a personal attack. This happens because God’s Word is alive. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it can judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Truth, like medicine, is bitter, but it brings healing. Instead of fighting it, accept its bitterness, and it will set you free (cf. John 8:32)

When Jesus saw the great crowd that followed, he did not send them away but “had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34). This spirit of self-sacrifice is one shining characteristic that only good shepherds possess. In John 10:11, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” What sacrifice am I making for those under my leadership? Do I care more about what I am gaining from my people?

As ministers of God, we must preach with the examples of our lives. Until we cease to be beneficiaries of corruption like Amaziah, the priest, we cannot speak truth to power. Until we practice the detachment Jesus recommends, no one will take our sermons or communiques seriously. As St. Paul says in today’s second reading, we have been called “to be holy and spotless”, not necessarily to make it big in life. Let us repent from worshipping money, whether as ministers or laity. Let us return to practising the Gospel values and apply poverty of spirit.

New wine is good. Old wine is also good. The problem is using old wineskins to store new wine or vice versa. This parable points to the importance of timing. Your plans may be perfect, but if it isn’t the right time, you will pour new wine into an old wineskin. Sometimes, God does not answer our prayers because He knows the timing is wrong. Do not lose trust in God. If the wedding guests cannot fast now, the time will come when they will have no choice but to fast.

The irony is that while Matthew willingly embraced a new life with Christ, many who openly condemned him remained in their old lives. Jesus said: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Am I the kind of ‘righteous’ person Jesus was referring to? Do I recognise (or admit) that I need a physician? If I consider myself perfect, I indirectly say I don’t need Jesus. Pride goes before a fall.

Inspired by their faith, some persons brought a paralysed man to Jesus. Matthew reports that Jesus ‘saw’ their faith. This means faith in God is visible in our actions before or after praying. A certain village experienced drought for some years. The elders met and decided the entire village would gather in the market square on a certain day to pray for rain. As they were about to begin the prayer, they noticed that only one little girl came with an umbrella. They had all come to pray for rain, but only this girl was expecting rain.

Do you consider the poor as a nuisance, a disturbance, or just dirt that needs to be taken out of your sight? Think twice. As long as someone goes to bed without food this night in your area, you are not safe.

Jesus’ question to the Scribes and Pharisees is one that deserves some pondering. Jesus did not ask, “Why are you thinking I can’t forgive sins?” Instead, he asked: “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” Lack of Faith in God is itself a great evil we must tackle in our lives. To underestimate God or to belittle God’s power and authority is just as bad as any sin we can think of.

We cannot preach a united Nigeria on our pulpits if we as men and women of God cannot see eye to eye. We must kill our pride lest it tears us apart. Jesus said it that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. We must stop fighting each other and begin to realize that as ministers of God, we can never be superior to one another. We are nothing but mere instruments before God.