DAILY HOMILIES #God

Jesus teaches us to avoid telling lies and other dishonest practices for the sake of money: “He who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much… And if you have not been faithful with that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”(Luke 16:10-12) Someone once said: “If you lose money, you lose nothing. If you lose friends, you lose something, but if you lose your character (perhaps, in a bid to make money), you have lost everything.”

St. Paul says, “If you live according to the flesh, you will die.” This was the same warning God gave to Adam and Eve, but the devil convinced them that they would not die. Many Christians still do not believe they would die if they gratify the desires of their flesh at the expense of obeying God.

Sin is not just an offence against God; it is an offence against myself. As long as I do not live by God’s instructions, I can never become all that God desires for me. When a doctor tells you to choose between your favourite meal and death, I bet you will start hating that meal. To live above sin, we must hate sin. If our hatred for sin is not strong, we may abstain for a while only to return.

When your life proclaims God, you have nothing to fear, as Jesus promises us: “When they bring you before synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12). God lives with and in those whose lives proclaim His existence.

Immorality and evil in our world today directly reflect the fact that people no longer believe God exists. It is foolish to say God does not exist. It is even greater foolishness to disobey God’s commandments, to live as though there is no authority guiding your life.

The crowd asked Jesus for a sign, but Jesus called them an evil generation. Why? It is evil to put God to the test. It is evil to ask God to prove Himself. If you trust God, you will not demand for signs. Jesus said: “For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.” (Luke 11:29-30). The death and resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate miracle. If this sign does not convince you, nothing else can convince us.

Why would tenants be bold enough to kill the servants sent to collect their rent? Why would guests turn around to kill the servants sent to remind them of the banquet? These parables highlight injustice and wickedness in people's hearts, yet Jesus is speaking directly to us in them because we are those tenants; we are the guests. This brings us to our lessons for today.

Do not be deceived into thinking that demons do not exist. It is foolish to deny the power and workings of demons. However, there is no need to fear them when we know that “He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world.” (Cf. 1 John 4:4).

Even though we gather all the pleasurable things in the world, make all the money, and become the most powerful persons, we would still be UNHAPPY if we lacked a connection with God. The best we can ever get away from God is a tickling of our senses, but genuine happiness is found only in God.

If you learn to listen to your spirit (your guardian angel), you will not go to certain places or be involved in certain deals. You will feel something trying to stop you from what would have brought you great danger. The more you converse with your guardian angel, the less fearful you become.

In today’s Nigeria, even a child of primary school age has mastered the game of corruption, dishonesty and deception. If we don’t watch it, the evils of the next generation will make the evils of the present time seem like “the good old times.” We must start telling ourselves: “I am the problem of Nigeria; if I don’t change, Nigeria cannot be better.”

God has truly visited his people. This is the meaning of the name “Emmanuel.” God is with us. There is no problem or difficulty worth taking your life. Present the matter to God in prayer and be sure that Jesus, who raised the dead, will make a way where there seems to be no way.