DAILY HOMILIES #prayer

Jesus said: “All things are possible to him who believes.” What is clear from this encounter is that even though the disciples were commanding the demon, deep down within them, they were not expecting the demon to obey. Everything is possible if you believe. The question is: “Do you believe?”

Prayer is never about commanding God; it is pleading with God knowing that He is not our servant but our Father. Hence, obedience to God should naturally proceed from our prayer. After pleading with Jesus, Mary said: “Do whatever He tells you.” How can you be asking from God when you are not ready to do whatever He tells you?

If you truly desire to rid yourself of your sins, you need to improve your relationship with Jesus, that is, spend more time with Jesus – deepen your prayer life. Occupy your mind with the things of God; read books, and seek to know God better. Pray for an increase in faith that God may open your eyes to see why sin is evil, and that God may strengthen your desire to live above sin.

Finally, let us join our psalmist today to pray: “O God be gracious and bless us.” It is good to receive powerful prophetic utterances on this first day of the New Year but today should not be your last day of stepping your feet into the church this year. The blessings you receive today are not different from the blessings of every other day. Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread – not our yearly bread. That is to say, Jesus wants us to pray every day. Continue to pray, don’t stop.

Are there promises you have made to God when things were rough for you, yet, long after God heard your prayer, you refused to fulfill your part of the promise? Do you even remember God when things are going well for you? Lastly, are you currently going through a storm, don’t worry, storms do not last forever. Keep telling yourself, “This too shall pass.” Tough times don’t last but tough people do.

The Centurion’s action teaches us an important lesson in caring for our workers. The Centurion was in charge of a hundred soldiers yet he found time to come looking for Jesus because of one servant; not even his son or a soldier. How lucky this servant was to have had such a good master. Can those working for me say the same about me?

Is it the case that this very flesh will be given to us again? Yes. Does it mean that at the resurrection, we would be able to recognize each other’s faces? Yes. So, our hands, our eyes, our tongue, etc. would be restored to us again? Yes. Does it then mean we shall be capable of falling in love, getting married, and so on? Jesus says: “Those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore

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:

(Image: Courtesy of stock.adobe.com) As we celebrate World Mission Sunday today, we are reminded that missionary work is not the exclusive reserve of the ordained but something to which we all are called. In his message for world mission Sunday 2022, Pope Francis tells us: “The essence of the mission is to bear witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death, and resurrection for the love of the Father and of humanity.” (para. 5).

It would be shameful if after preaching to you to live your best life today and be prepared for death (which can come at any time), I fail to prepare for my own death. The sad truth today is that a lot of us, preachers, know the bible but we do not know God.

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.