DAILY HOMILIES #Bible

The spirit of competition is wired into our being; we want to be the greatest among our peers, classmates, siblings, fellow employees, business associates, etc. While this could motivate us to take necessary steps that bring about positive growth, it also has negative side effects.

Life is all about connection. No human being can survive entirely on their own. No one is an island. Just as we need to remain connected to Jesus to stay alive spiritually, we also need to be connected to our fellow human beings to remain alive.

There is more to the Bible than meets the eye. Taking the printed text at face value could confuse you, like the crowds in today’s Gospel passage. The Ethiopian Eunuch must have prayed for insight, and God sent Philip to him. When Philip asked if he understood his reading, the Eunuch was humble enough to admit, “How can I unless someone guides me?”

Our first reading today comes from the Book of Prophet Hosea. God instructed Hosea to marry a harlot to demonstrate the idolatrous practices of the Israelite nation. Just as a harlot leaves her husband for other men, we cheat on God when we serve other gods (such as money, power, pleasure, etc.)

Do you have a Bible? Do you really know how powerful it is? When last did you devote some hours of your day to reading and meditating on God’s word? Could it be that you really do not have the time for God’s word? The truth is that you always have time for anything you consider to be important to you. The word of God is more important than riches, fame, comfort, or anything you can think of. The word of God is life.

The letter to the Hebrews, in drawing our attention to the importance of God’s words, says: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden…” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Only one thing is needed: Faith. Mary has chosen the good portion; to sit at Jesus’ feet in prayer and adoration, to listen carefully to Jesus’ words by meditating on the Bible, to trust deeply that in the midst of the chaos, we can afford to sit still with Jesus.

We should never read the Bible just like any other piece of literature. We must first ask God to open our hearts before we begin to flip through the pages of the Bible. That way, the meaning becomes clear to us. We see things that others cannot see and we hear things that others will never hear.

As long we allow Jesus to reign in our hearts and minds, poverty, captivity, blindness, oppression will have no place in our lives.

Reading the Bible brings us to terms with our sinfulness. The less we read the Bible, the more hardened our hearts become. After hosting Jesus in his house, Matthew the tax collector was so touched by Jesus’ presence that he repented completely from his past evil deeds. You need to host Jesus in your house by dedicating time to reading the Bible.