DAILY HOMILIES #reward

Thank God for your enemies. Always wish them well. Enemies are blessings in disguise; they help to bring out the best in us. Enemies remind us to be careful and prayerful. Enemies serve as road signs, speed bumps, and other safety signals that prevent us from road accidents. Enemies are like hot water that helps to cook the food. Do you wish to get to the top or see your dreams come true? Pray to have enough enemies to challenge you.

Unlike the rich young man who walked away sad, the true disciple seeks God first and relies on God for security. In today’s first reading, Saint Peter himself describes the true disciple as one who is committed to personal holiness, one who is not conformed to the passions of his former ignorance.

Why did Jesus insist we should invite the poor? They cannot repay us. If we invite our friends and relatives to our parties, they will pay us back by either giving us money or inviting us to their parties. Jesus wants us to invite those who cannot pay us back so that our reward will come from God. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.”

We cannot all become ordained ministers, consecrated men and women, bishops, or cardinals in the church, but at the end of the day, not even the Pope will receive a greater reward than the newly baptised. Jesus says: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” This means that there would be no last or first.

The book of Sirach today speaks of the beauty of giving and offering sacrifices to God. It says: “Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed… glorify the Lord generously… with every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with gladness. Please give to the Most High as he has given and as generously as your hand has found. For the Lord is the one who repays and will repay you sevenfold.” (Sirach 35:4-11).

As great as John the Baptist was, we hear Jesus saying today: “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist.” What does this mean? That heaven is so different from this world and the standards of judgment or ranking are not like what we see here on earth. Let’s face the fact, heaven is not an easy place to get to. No wonder Jesus asserted in Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door...

If we are to understand hell as the place of the unfaithful, it follows that there is a place other than heaven and hell where souls go to receive either severe or light beating. This place is what the church calls purgatory. As the Catechism puts it: “Purgatory is the final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” (CCC 1030-1031) This purification is done so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

It is not all that glitters that is gold. Ill-gotten wealth (blood-money) is a curse one places upon his or her head. If you think you will laugh by making others cry, your laughter will soon become mourning and loud lamentation.

“Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed… glorify the Lord generously… with every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with gladness. Give to the Most High as he has given, and as generously as your hand has found. For the Lord is the one who repays, and he will repay you sevenfold.” (Sirach 35:4-11).