DAILY HOMILIES #faith

Today, our readings present other obstacles to faith which we must avoid such as hostility towards God, familiarity, falsehood and pride. Whether we like it or not, these are factors responsible for the scarcity of miracles in our churches today.

Abraham went to the extent of tying Isaac on the pile of wood because he believed that God was capable of giving him more sons. Four men opened the roof of the house where Jesus was to bring in their paralytic friend because they believed that an audience with Jesus was all he needed to be healed. The question is: “What do your actions say about your faith?”

They probably assumed that if Jesus were to cure all the demoniacs in their city, there might not be any livestock left. Has it ever occurred to you that like these people, there are times we kick Jesus out of our lives all because of our pursuit of (or perceived loss of ) some material riches?

In the midst of the panic, the disciples were surprised to see Jesus sleeping and the cushion, and when they woke Him, He not only spoke to the winds and the sea, He said to them: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” In today’s Gospel passage, we hear something very similar from the lips of Jesus, this time, He addressed the synagogue official whose daughter was feared dead: “Do not fear, only believe.”

While the leper believed that God was capable of doing anything, Abraham fell on his face and laughed when God told him that his wife Sarai would have a child.

Where Jesus is present, nothing spoils but when we are not on the same boat with Jesus, when we are walking in sin and disobeying His commands, then we are just on our own! The couple at Cana needed not be afraid because they were wise enough to invite Jesus and his mother to their wedding. (Cf. John 2:1-11).

Above all the message of the book of Tobit is that God answers prayers. God cares for His children. God is not pleased with our tears, deprivation, injustice, and suffering. God is ready to go to any extent to save us. Whatever it is you are experiencing now, don’t give up on God. Continue to pray and one day, your miracle will happen.

The hypocrite knows the house is dirty and smelling, he goes ahead to paint the outside walls but allows the inside to decay even more. The Christian knows the house is dirty and smelling, he begins the washing from the inside gradually, cleans everywhere before painting the outside.

Regardless of what you are facing now, take courage, be cheerful, smile. Know that Jesus has conquered already. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. There is nothing spiritual about being moody, annoyed or depressed.

If it were possible to summarize the words of Jesus in last Sunday's Gospel passage, it would be John 15:12 which reads: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus wants us to continue His mission of saving the world by replicating His sacrificial love, especially for our enemies. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus prays for us. In this prayer, Jesus expresses His desires for the Church and also reveals our identity and mission further

If you do not believe that your prayers are capable of changing anything, then you are yet to understand the meaning of prayer. The deeper your confidence in the power and effectiveness of even a single line of prayer, the more you see the result in your life.

For those who do not eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus, they are missing so much. As Jesus puts it, they do not even have life in them; they are walking-dead. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53).