(Homily for January 31, 2017).
There are
three things we need to get rid of in other for us to attain the blessed and happy
life that God so designed for us; sin, fear and doubt. The word sin comes from
a Greek word meaning “to miss the mark.” God who created us and knows what is
best for us gave us certain targets we must aspire to. Like in the game of
archery, each time we sin, it means we throw the arrow off course and when we
constantly do that, we can never win the game. In other words, sin can become a
heavy weight preventing us from enjoying life as God intended. No player is
happy when he constantly misses, so he disciplines himself, spends long hours
in training, and even suffers bruises in the process just to hit the target. If
Jesus could suffer the pain of the cross during which he was spat upon,
flogged, bruised, and shamed, we too must resist sin even if it means shedding
our blood.
Fear is a natural
defence mechanism. We fear things that we know are capable of taking away our
pride, our possessions or even our joy. At times, we need to lay off our fears
like the woman with the issue of blood who risked her self-pride to touch the
hem of Jesus’ garment. The good news about our fears is that ninety-nine
percent of the time, they never happen. Our fears protect us from taking risks but
by so doing, they also protect us from victories, breakthroughs and new
discoveries.
To doubt
is to be logical. If a girl stops breathing in your presence and someone tells
you she is not dead but only asleep, it is normal to doubt. It is normal to
laugh at such a person who seems to be going against the rules of common sense.
I have come to discover that the greatest men and women in history were at some
point in their life described as mad people yet they went on to change the
world. They were considered mad because they refused to allow doubt in their
hearts. They believed anything was possible and were determined to find
solutions where others had given up. People laughed at Jesus but were put to
shame when the girl woke up.
Just as we
need to lay aside sin, fear and doubt, so also we must lay aside anyone in our
lives capable of leading us into sin, fear and doubt. Jesus drove away all of
those who doubted and laughed at him before entering into the house to raise
the girl to life. Are there persons in my life who constantly lures me to sin,
persons who laugh at me when I tell them my dreams or persons who tell me my
plans are impossible? I think I need to realize I don’t need such persons
anymore.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, take away from me any weight that pulls me down. Amen.
St. John
Bosco, Pray for us.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study:
Hebrews 12:1-4 and Mark 5, 21 to 40).
Fr. Abu.
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