Homily for January 21, 2018.
“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God
repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do
it.” Jonah 3:10.
In our
Gospel passage today, Mark tells us that Jesus began his public ministry by
preaching saying: “This is the time of fulfilment. The kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” In other words, “today is all we
have, this is the time, repent now and believe the Gospel.”
In our
first reading, we see a very similar message being preached by Jonah to the
people of Nineveh: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” In other
words, there is no time, we cannot postpone repentance otherwise, we shall be
destroyed.
Even our
Second reading today contains the same message: “The appointed time has grown
very short…” Not only does our second reading give us the strategy of
repentance, it also explains why repentance is absolutely necessary: “For the
form of this world is passing away.” This world will soon end, even, our very
life will end someday.
When we
put our readings together, there are some lessons we learn.
*1. There
is Always a Punishment For Sin.*
Sin is
only attractive when we turn our eyes from its consequences. If we only tell
ourselves the truth that the only reward from sin is death then we are able to
find courage to say “No” to the devil in moments of temptation.
Every sin
no matter how small carries a punishment by its very nature. Chinua Achebe
says: “One who brings in ant-infested wood into his bedroom should be prepared
for lizards’ invasion.” If you put your bare hands in fire, there should be no
negotiation about being burnt. Sir Isaac Newton was right indeed when he said
“for every ACTION, there is an equal and opposite REACTION.”
*2. Fasting
is Essential to the Process of Repentance.*
Even
doctors prescribe fasting as a medicine because it helps the body physically.
On a spiritual level, it helps your spirit regain control over your flesh. One
who cannot say “No” to his own flesh will never find the courage to say “No” to
the devil.
Even
though Jesus is God, he began his ministry with a 40days fasting and prayer
exercise. By fasting, Jesus learnt to discipline his flesh and by his prayer, Jesus
acquired Power. The people of Nineveh fasted, they put on sackcloth, they
denied themselves, changed their ways and God was impressed at their
willingness to drop sin behind.
*3. To
Repent is to Become Detached and Make Fundamental Changes.*
To put it
in pidgin, “repentance no be by mouth.” The story is told of a guy who was
baptised and the priest said to him: From today, your name is no longer
‘Somebody’, you are now ‘Saint’. The young man got home and found a bottle of
beer in his fridge, he took the beer, dipped it in water, brought it out and
said: “From today, your name is no longer ‘beer’, you are now ‘pure water’.
Most
times, when we tell ourselves we are going to repent, we actually deceive
ourselves. Our people say, one who fails to plan, plans to fail. It is only a
fool that would do the same thing again and again and still expect a different
result. The truth is that sin never happens without our consent, 90% of the
time, we actually make plans to sin. Let’s face it, you say, “I repent” yet
after mass, you have made plans for this your friend to visit you knowing fully
well that each time that friend comes around or each time you go to this
person’s house, something sinful must happen.
Jesus told
us in Matthew 5:29-30 “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and
throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your
whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut
it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than
that your whole body go into hell.” To repent is to do something drastic. It is
to cut off, it is to withdraw and be detached as St. Paul says in today’s
second reading: “let those who deal with the world live as though they had no
dealings with it.”
Stop
deceiving yourself. End that sinful relationship today. Make a fundamental
change. Sin does not happen in a vacuum, there are things that lead to it. If
sin must leave your life, then you must plan to fight it. How about if you set
yourself a personal target of finishing the Bible this year? How about if you
decide to pray the rosary each time you become bored, alone or idle? How about
deciding to download the lives of Saints with your phone rather than watch
pornography online?
*4. Repentance
Requires Taking a Step Further in our Walk with God.*
In the call
of the disciples, we see another dimension of repentance. As soon as Jesus said
to them “come, I will make you fishers of men,” they left everything at once
and followed him. They did not ask any questions.
Some of us
are scared what would happen to their business if they stopped telling lies to
their customers. Some of us youths cannot imagine what would become of our
lives if we lose our boyfriend or girlfriend forgetting that hell is real. Some
of us wonder where money would come from if we abandon our current sinful
practice that seems to be fetching us money. Don’t be scared, Jesus says:
“Follow Me.” Follow me and I will take care of you, follow me and I will make
you fishers of men, follow me and I will take you to a higher level of
prosperity and success, follow you and I will give you true peace. Follow me
and your life will never remain the same again.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, help me to truly repent and never return to my vomit again.
Amen.
Happy Sunday.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Bible
Study: Jonah 3:1-5,10. 1st Corinthians 7:29-31 and Mark 1:14-20).
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