DAILY HOMILIES #God cares

We often ask ourselves, “Where do I start? What impact will I even make?” Jesus came to save the whole world, and He had only thirty-three years to live on earth, thirty of which were spent in preparation. Today, the work Jesus began is still changing lives. The good you begin today, no matter how small, could snowball into something great; it might even outlive you.

If you were Jesus and you knew that people were planning to kill you for healing people on a Sabbath, would you continue? Let us be honest. Only Jesus can do this. Only Jesus can take such a risk. This is the nature of God’s love, as the Prophet Isaiah presents in today’s First Reading. It is a love deeper than that of a mother for her nursing child.

Know that even if it is only one person you help, it will mean the whole world to them. Search your heart, you can hear God calling you. Just as Jesus appointed the twelve, He wants to do something through you. God does not work in a vacuum; He works through people.

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)

Are you being threatened with death for doing the right thing? Be like Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego who said to the king: “Even if our God does not save us, we will not bow to your stature.” Yes, even if God decides not to prevent your death (as in the case of John the Baptist), be assured of a better life in heaven. Just don’t live with your fears.

While we celebrate God’s goodness to us at Christmas, it is important to remind ourselves too that amongst us are “brood of vipers.” Who are these brood of vipers? They come in various forms and take on different roles, they are persons who are never happy to see good things coming our way. For instance, the scribes and the Pharisees who could not rejoice to see the paralytic freed from a life of dependency and pain are examples of the brood of vipers.

Yesterday, we reflected on the power of faith and the fact that Jesus is constantly asking “Do you believe I am able to do this?” Today, we learn that even if we don’t believe, even if we don’t pray at all, God sees what we are going through and comes to our aid all the same.