DAILY HOMILIES #Jeremiah

Like Herod, who killed all the male children born at the time for fear of a rival king, the Chief priests and Pharisees were shaken with fear. Speaking prophetically as High Priest, Caiaphas noted: “It is expedient for one man to die than for a whole nation to perish.” Little did Caiaphas know that he had just summarised the mission of Jesus Christ on earth – “The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28).

If God allows you to experience such difficult times, know that it is because God knows that something good can come from it. We learn more in moments of adversity. We discover our true friends, and we get to tap into our true inner strength. Adversity toughens and shapes us into God’s plans for us. Cherish your moment of adversity; know there can be no crown without a cross first.

Righteousness is a reproach to the ungodly. Seeing the light in you, they try to win you over to the darkness or make your life challenging. This was Jeremiah’s experience in today’s First reading. It was also Jesus’s situation in today’s Gospel passage, and as Jesus warned us, we cannot follow in his steps unless we are prepared to face such difficult moments.

After listening to the leper’s prayer, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying: “I will, be clean.” In other words, I desire your healing. I want you to be strong and healthy. Sickness, pain and misery do not glorify God. Avoid concluding that God does not care about your condition or that God is punishing you for your sins. Regardless of what you are going through, God only desires the best for you. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Zachariah was given a writing tablet to name his child. His relatives wanted him to name the child Zechariah. However, his silence helped him remember the Angel’s words: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer, has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.” (Luke 1:13-14).

That God is a God of the second chance is again revealed in His willingness to entrust great responsibilities to us despite his full knowledge of our human weaknesses. Jesus knew how fragile Peter’s faith was and how rash he could be in thinking, yet he made him the first pope. “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church.” (Matthew 16:18).

Why did this woman refuse to give up? What made her pass Jesus’ test? This is a woman who has suffered in the past. She knew that pride wouldn’t get you anything. Learn to be humble. Don’t interpret everything as an insult; you never can tell if the so-called insult is just a test. Maturity begins when you start seeing insult as education. No matter how highly placed you think we are, there will always be someone with something you lack. Never look down on anyone.

Telling lies is very bad. Telling lies in God’s name is even worse. This is because when you claim to have received a message from God, and it turns out that the message was false, you make God look like a liar. For this, Hananiah died that year. Many so-called men of God “prophesied” great and wonderful things about this country on New Year’s Day. How many of such prophecies happened? Either they did not hear well when God spoke, or they did not hear from God

Prophesying is not the same as giving a merely motivational speech. There is an aspect of prophecy that causes discomfort to its listeners. Preaching truth takes work. Anyone determined to take this path must be prepared for death.

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)

Do not be scandalised by any bad Christian. Rather, be inspired by the good ones and strive to be good yourself. Do not allow another person’s sinfulness to become your standard of judging good and bad. Just as there are different kinds of fish in God’s kingdom, we also have elements of good and evil within us

On the day of our baptism, God admitted us into his kingdom, and we now answered the name Christian. However, as time went on, Satan succeeded in sowing very bad seeds into some of us, and instead of bearing fruits, we became weeds (useless plants) growing within God’s kingdom. But remember, even weeds have the potential to transform into wheat with God’s mercy and our sincere efforts.