DAILY HOMILIES #Jesus

ust as Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus, the Feast of St. Andrew stands at such a strategic point in the Church’s calendar as he continues to be the one introducing the Church as a whole to the Advent Season; his feast is like the Calendar Marker that reminds us of the need to start preparing for the Baby Jesus.

It is not enough that we hang decorations, lights and pictures of Jesus this season, let us hang the virtues of Christ, chief among which are forgiveness and mercy. Putting up fancy lights is very expensive, not many can afford these beautiful lights but there is another light that cost nothing and is available for all; it is the light of good deeds.

The lamb Abraham said God would provide, the lamb that was sacrificed in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the lamb Samuel offered and the prophets spoke about is Jesus Christ.

The good news is that the same Jesus who became a guest in the home of Zacchaeus is standing at your door right now. St. John, in today’s first reading, quotes Jesus: “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me…”

After killing John the Baptist for preaching the truth, Herod was hungry again for the head of Jesus. What did Jesus do to Herod? Believe it or not, your goodness is a threat to certain persons and if they cannot bring you down by destroying your name and reputation, they would try to attack you physically. St. Paul tells us that in this battle, we must be fully dressed for action and our attire should consist of the following:

Take in a deep breath for instance and say a prayer to the Holy Spirit. It may be a short prayer and as you exhale the air, say another short prayer. Doing this little exercise can catapult you to a higher realm and make you conscious that you are not alone in this life. God is with you right here, right now. Feel his presence in the Holy Spirit.

I feel ashamed when I see Christians panicking at the thought of witches and wizards or pastors exulting the devil in their sermons, literally putting fear in the minds of their listeners without also preaching about God’s power as greater than that of the devil. Today’s Christians are willing to ascribe every single negative event in their lives to the power of the devil (including headaches) but are very slow to praise and thank God for positive events in their lives.

Jesus was well aware of the law and he knew the implication of healing this man on the Sabbath day. Jesus also realized there was one law that the Pharisees were not aware of; the law of doing good or better put, the Law of Love. So, Jesus asked them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it on Sabbath day?”

Am I a religious leader who does not practice what he or she is preaching? Do I have skeletons in my cupboard? Am I doing God’s work just for the fame and material benefits? Am I living out the life that my title connotes? These are very important questions for our self-examination today. Jesus said: “whoever exalts himself will be humbled but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)

You may spend huge sums of money educating your children but if you fail to nourish them spiritually or fail to teach them how to pray, you could end up deforming them. It is sad to note that some parents go as far as offering bribes just so that their children can receive baptism and other sacraments without going through the rigors of catechism class. Whether we like it or not, a bulk of our problems in Africa arise as a result of the absence of morality among our populace. We have lost a sense of what is right and wrong. Our leaders do not think is it wrong to steal or divert funds meant for development. People are respected today not according to their contribution to society but according to the size of their pockets.

Are you thinking of an investment that is sure to pay you huge dividends? An investment that would continue to take care of you at old age when you can no longer work? Or would you rather invest in something that is capable of taking care of you after your death and forever? Invest in eternity. The good news is that this investment does not require money – it is as easy as following Jesus.

If your conscience is clear, you have no reason whatsoever to be living in fear. If it is not your time, nothing, nothing in heaven or on earth can kill you. You will walk on water and you will not sink. You will pass through fire and it will be cold. Your enemies will set different traps for you and you will scale through like breeze. Fear Not.