DAILY HOMILIES #suffering

I recently heard the story of some soldiers who broke into a tea shop because it was a cold winter morning, and they needed something warm to drink. When they left, the captain left some money for the shop owner to satisfy his conscience. The soldiers felt they had a right to steal the tea since no one would dare question them, but the captain had the mind of Christ. He left money for the shop owner.

God wants us to win in the game of life, to bear fruits, and to fulfil our calling. A football player who doesn’t play well (passes the ball to the opponent and takes joy in scoring “own” goals) will soon be replaced. A cook who consistently misses the mark in the kitchen will produce food he cannot even eat. If we cannot afford to miss the mark in every other aspect of our lives, we should avoid missing the mark when it comes to our relationship with our creator.

When Job uttered this song (“I know my Redeemer lives”), he had no more reason to believe in God. He had been praying for days, and all he could see was the opposite of what he was praying for. This song reminds us of Paul and Silas, who, in prison, sang songs of praise to God. Nothing touches God as much as our ability to sing His praises despite our difficulties. By singing, Job utterly disappointed the devil, who felt that Job’s righteousness was tied to his material blessings.

Jesus tells us today, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Whether we like it or not, Christianity involves self-denial, self-discipline, suffering, embracing lack, and giving away one’s life for Christ’s sake. As powerful as the cross, so powerful are those pains, insults, ridicule, and shame we must put up with for the sake of our Christian Faith.

Jesus is inviting us to invest in eternity and live in such a manner as to be worthy of heaven after our death. If you do not attain heaven, everything else is useless. Regardless of one’s length of days or riches attained, without heaven, one has only lived a wasted life. Go to the graveyard; you will observe that you cannot tell the difference between those who lived in affluence and those who barely survived. What truly matters is where we spend eternity; it is neither how much we gather nor how much we leave for our children. To die in a state of disconnect with God is the worst kind of death.

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. No matter how highly placed you think we are, there will always be someone with something you lack. Never look down on anyone.

Without love for God, the cross is a punishment, but when there is love in our hearts, the cross is worth carrying.

The message for you today is: “Rise.” Don’t stay down. Rise! Your sufferings are not a sign of weakness on the part of God. Keep trusting in God. Very soon, your eyes will see, and your mouth will testify that God never sleeps nor slumbers and never turns His back on His children.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus teaches that the criteria for greatness in God’s kingdom is servitude. When we seek power and comfort like worldly leaders, we become wolves feeding on our sheep (being served) rather than shepherds who feed the sheep (serving them)

Remember that song: “When Jesus is in the family, happy, happy home…” Jesus’ presence in a home makes all things right. Is there anyone sick in your house? Are you experiencing a family crisis, tired of the headaches of stubborn children, or experiencing marital crisis and infidelity? Then it is time to let Jesus into your house by driving out the devil, by driving out any sinful or evil practices in your homes. Bring Jesus into your bedrooms through prayer, for where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there. (Cf. Matthew 18:20).

One does not become a saint or a sinner overnight. The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one tiny and often unnoticed step. It is not the size of the first step that matters but the direction in which it points. Jesus tells us today that the Kingdom of God begins like a grain of mustard seed that is planted.

Let’s face it: though we live in the world, we do not belong to this world, and the world hates us. (John 15:18-19) If you have not been experiencing this hatred (if you have never suffered anything for the sake of God), it is because you have been compromising your Christian values. As the saying goes: “If the devil is not fighting you, it is because you have been working for him.” Do not be conformed to this world.