Homily
for June 13, 2017
After giving us the way to
happiness yesterday, Jesus proceeds today to show us the way to worship. He
tells us that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth and our
basic calling is to act in a manner that always gives Glory to God.
The reason why Jesus is
encouraging us to let men see our good works is so that God may receive the
glory. However, by the time we begin to select when to be good and when to be
bad; by the time our goodness become determined by the fact that people are
watching us, we are no longer giving God glory. We have now become actors on
stage.
One way to know if your
piety is genuine is by asking yourself if there is any difference between your
behaviour when you are in the presence of others and when you are alone.
The golden rule here is to
act in a manner that pleases God at all times whether or not you are being
noticed by others. Jesus tells us that a city built on a hill can never be
hidden. This means, there is nothing that will ever remain a secret in our
lives. The question is: When that which was once hidden from the eyes of men
becomes revealed, would it give glory to God?
In letting our light shine,
St. Paul tells us there is nothing like “Yes” and “No”. It has to be “Yes” all
the time. This simply means there should be no double standards in our lives.
Many Christians today are divergent,
we have double personalities. In public or in church, we have a way of behaving
but at home, in private we change; we become something else. The very things we
condemn in public, we swallow with delight in private. It is like we are trying
to say “Yes” both to God and the devil.
Today
we celebrate the memorial of St. Anthony of Padua. His life is indeed a great
inspiration to us. Saint Anthony was born Fernando Martins in Lisbon, Portugal.
He was born into a wealthy family and by the age of fifteen asked to be sent to
the Abbey of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, the then capital of Portugal. During his
time in the Abbey, he learned theology and Latin.
Fernando
eventually received permission to leave the Abbey so he could join the new
Franciscan Order. When he was admitted, he changed his name to Anthony. Anthony
then traveled to Morocco to spread God's truth. So simple and resounding was
his teaching of the Catholic Faith, most unlettered and the innocent could
understand his messages. It is for this reason he was declared a Doctor of the
Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.
Once,
when St. Anthony of Padua attempted to preach the true Gospel of the Catholic
Church to heretics who would not listen to him, he went out and preached his
message to the fish. When critics saw the fish begin to gather, they realized
they should also listen to what Anthony had to say.
He
was only 36-years-old when he died and was canonized less than one year
afterward by Pope Gregory IX. Upon exhumation some 336 years after his death,
his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so
perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it. He is typically
depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus and is commonly referred to
today as the "finder of lost articles."
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, free
me from hypocrisy. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 10th
Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 and Matthew 5:13-16).
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