DAILY HOMILIES #Joshua

By saying we should cut off our hands and feet and pluck our eyes, Jesus wants us to realise that we have power over sin and that the causes of sin are right within us. Stop blaming the devil for your sinful actions. It is what is inside you, not what is outside you, that is making you fall into sin. Jesus is not asking us to cut our bodies physically; rather, he wants us to cut off those bad thoughts, imaginations and desires within us that lead us to sin.

A parent once asked a priest: “At what age do I start teaching my child how to pray?” In return, the priest asked, “How old is your child now.” She replied: “He will be four years in two months.” “Then you are four years late already,” said the priest. We do our children a great disservice when we do not allow them to attend catechism classes, but we want them to receive the sacraments.

Caleb and Joshua acknowledged their difficulty, but they also saw their potential, they saw the giants, but they knew God was greater than these giants. They were not afraid because they had a strong faith in God. When you encounter a serious problem, you can know whether or not you have faith, whether you will move forward like Caleb and Joshua, or sit down to cry your brains out like the Israelites.

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel passage “Let the children come to me.” This is a very important instruction. Allow your children to come to Jesus. Never assume that they would not understand. Come to think of it, if your children can understand cartoons (which they often consume excessively), what would stop them from understanding Bible Stories?

Compared to what we owe God, that which others owe us is nothing! Think of the worst thing anyone has done to you for whom you strongly believe he or she does not deserve to be forgiven. Does it occur to you that God has already forgiven you for a greater offence than that?

It is when you encounter a serious problem that you are able to know whether or not you have faith; whether you will move forward like Caleb and Joshua or whether you will sit down to cry your brains out like the Israelites.