(Homily for February 13, 2017).
So Cain
was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are
you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be
accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it
desires to have you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:5-7. God himself spoke to Cain as he speaks to us
today, “sin is crouching at your door… but you must master it.”
Why was
Cain angry? He compared himself with Abel. Comparison is a killer of joy. Once
you begin to compare and compete with others, you have said good-bye to your
happiness. Everyone has his or her own destiny. And as the saying goes, life is
turn by turn. Since Abel’s offering was accepted, what stopped Cain from doing
another sacrifice? The fact that you failed in a venture where your neighbour
succeeded, should that make you angry or jealous of your neighbour? Never ever
compare yourself with others, stop saying ‘my mates’, ‘my mates’. No one has it
all. Never wish to have anything that belongs to another because you never can
tell what that person is going through.
What are
we to do when angry? First we must realize that we have power over it. Just as
God advised Cain, sin is knocking at your door, but you must master it. For God
to say this to Cain means he knows we have what it takes to master our anger.
We are to control it and not let it control us. If angry causes us to sin, then
it means we allowed it control us but if despite our angry, we do not sin, it
means we are victors. Cain did not take God’s advice, he allowed his angry push
him into killing his brother. In anger, we lose our rationality, that is, anger
makes us foolish. That is why decisions taken in anger are always regrettable.
The best thing to do when anger takes over you is to do nothing.
Jesus was
angry many times, yet he never sinned. Even
in today’s Gospel, he was not happy that the people demanded a sign in other to
believe. Guess what Jesus did? Nothing! The Bible says “And he left them, and
getting into the boat again, he departed to the other side.” Mark 8:13. Let us
imitate Jesus, when angry, please walk away! Never allow your angry drag you
into sin.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, grant me wisdom in my moments of anger. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Genesis
4:1-15,25 and Mark 8:11-13).
Fr. Abu.
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