DAILY HOMILIES #Jeremiah

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.

Jesus explained that it is not what one eats or how one eats that defiles him. Instead, it is the content of one’s heart that defiles a person. If we seek to be pure, the washing must first begin within our very heart. This is the kind of washing God promised the children of Israel in today’s first reading. “You shall (once again) be my people and I will be your God.”

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. It pains me that they still refuse to admit the truth when confronted about their fake prophecies. Let us be cautious and discerning in our spiritual journey, for the consequences of false prophecies can be severe.

In our society today, there are many Herods who believe they can do anything: take any woman or man they want, tell any lie, steal any amount they wish to, etc. They even brag, saying nobody, not even the Supreme Court, can stop them. Like Herod, they may kill the body, but they can never kill the truth.

As Jesus already described in the parables of the kingdom, not everyone receives the word with a welcoming heart. For some, instead of allowing the seed to grow, they turn around to attack the farmer. The question now is, am I one of such persons? How do I react when the truth makes me uncomfortable? If God’s words disturb you, consider it a call to repentance. Do not make the mistake of attacking the preacher.

“There is a lot of good in the worst of us, and there is also so much evil in the best of us.” Jesus told us to be perfect like God, but the truth is that perfection is never achieved in a day; it is a lifelong journey. As the fishermen took time to sort the fish, we must develop the habit of daily examining our conscience. This would help us throw away what is bad and improve what is good within ourselves.

While Martha’s life inspires us to have deep faith in God, Mary shows us the importance of listening to the Word of God, and from Lazarus, we learn the importance of developing friendships with God. The Gospels do not provide us with much information about Lazarus’ life, except that he was a friend of Jesus. What kind of friends do you have? Can you boast of any of your friends raising you from the dead? If not, make Jesus your best friend today. On the other hand, if your friends are drawing you away from God, they do not deserve to remain your friends.

The distance between you and sainthood is just one little step in the right direction. A good act done today is like a tiny mustard seed that is sown upon the ground, or like a teaspoon of leaven capable of mixing a large quantity of flour.

The ability to understand God’s word is a gift. Jesus said to the twelve: “To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given…. blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

In today’s Gospel passage, the crowds listening to Jesus were divided in their opinions. This is typical of any crowd. This is why we must avoid being swayed by public opinion, lest we become like a palm tree that sways in different directions depending on the wind. We must praise the courageous soldiers who were sent to arrest Jesus, but after hearing him preach, they returned to the Pharisees to say, “No man has ever spoken like this man.”

To think that someone’s light has to go off before yours can shine is to have a very limited mindset, which is the opposite of God’s mind. The funny thing is that in trying to quench others’ light, we only succeed in making them shine brighter, and then, we destroy ours. The householder demanded a harvest from the vineyard because He knew what the vineyard could produce. God expects us to shine rather than fight others because of their gifts.

Zechariah’s obedience to God’s instruction restored his ability to speak. When we obey God, we permit Him to carry out His will in our lives. Often, we behave as though we know better than God, only to find ourselves in a dead end like Jonah. If we persist in our sinfulness, we can never achieve all that God has planned for us.