(Homily for April 29, 2018).
“Beloved,
if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive
from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases
him.” 1 John 3:21-22.
Last
Sunday, we celebrated our Lord Jesus Christ as our Good Shepherd, the one who
lays down his life for us, his sheep. Today, being the fifth Sunday of Easter,
Jesus goes even further to describe himself as the vine while we are the
branches. In other words, not only is Jesus our Shepherd (our guardian, our
protector, our provider), our very survival depends on him. Just as branches
die off when cut from the stem, our true life dies when we are cut off from
Jesus.
It is sad
to say today that many of us Christians are cut off from Jesus the vine. How? We
are very religious but not spiritual. We are very good Church-goers but not
real worshipers. There is no street in our society that has less than ten
churches; most of which are operated by self-acclaimed, untrained men and women
of God as functional business centres just to provide food for themselves and
their dependents.
Every
Sunday, our churches are filled up with millions of people, most of whom are in
attendance to get a shot at a better life, to kill all those enemies
responsible for their poverty, sickness, unemployment etc. and get supernatural
wealth all of a sudden. In truth, it is not Christ that we seek but the basic
things our government has failed to provide; money, security and overall
wellbeing. That is why corruption, crime, evil and immorality continue to
increase as new churches open up daily.
How do I
know whether I am connected to Christ? Is it by dressing attractively to church
(so as to keep the eyes of everyone focused on my hot body)? Is it by rubbing
myself on the floor or allowing the man/woman of God abuse me mentally and
psychologically? Or is it by sowing the biggest seed, is it even by my
faithfulness to tithing? Not at all. Let me state categorically here that tithe
is not a prerequisite for going to heaven neither is it a bribe to God. It is a
personal act of faith in God as the ultimate provider. In the Catholic Church,
tithes are neither compulsory nor condemned. God loves a cheerful (not a
fearful) giver.
How do I
know whether or not I am connected to Christ? Our readings today give us three
answers. 1. PRACTICAL LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER. 2. THE EXISTENCE OF SIN IN OUR
LIVES and 3. WILLINGNESS TO ABIDE IN GOD’S WORD.
Practical
love for one another is one thing missing among Christians today. We lack
mercy, we are always suspicious of each other, we engage in unending
competitions, we never come to the aid of those in need. The apostles almost
put an end to Paul’s missionary enterprise by their poor reception; thanks to
Barnabas who spoke on his behalf in Christian charity. We need more Barnabas
today. We need people who believe in the goodness of others despite whatever
may have been their past.
John tells
us in our second reading that our Love for one another should not be a matter
of talk but practical action and in truth; that is, in sincerity. We are very
good at “sweet-mouth” but we never really help people. And even when we help,
we are not sincere because we are always expecting to get back. We only think
of ourselves; that is why when we find ourselves in positions of leadership, we
loot, we steal, we divert funds.
Secondly, another
strong point that tells me whether I am connected to Christ is the existence
and frequency of sin in my life. Sin is an offence against God which cuts us
away from him; sin makes us hide from God’s presence like Adam and Eve; sin
destroys our prayer life; sin brings about self-condemnation and guilt. St.
John says: “if our hearts do not condemn us; we have confidence before
God…because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” 1st
John 3:21-22. When I am always doing things that are not pleasing to God, it
shows I am not connected.
Brothers
and sisters, there is too much sin amongst us. Evil has grown in leaps and
bounds and our new technologies are not helping much as they help publicise
rather than curtail evil. Reports have shown that eighty to ninety percent of
pages visited on the internet by smartphone users are pornographic,
crime-related, unhealthy and basically ungodly. We are very much informed but
morally deformed.
The third
point to consider today so as to know whether I am connected to Christ is my
willingness to read the Bible. Jesus tells us: “If you abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you.” John
15:8. We are more focused in the aspect of asking whatever we will but we
completely leave out the aspect of allowing God’s words abide in us. The truth
is that we don’t read the Bible. We carry it to show off, we don’t even know
which book comes after which. We pick out verses from the Bible at random; of
course, verses that sound nice in the ear. This is why I like the Catholic
Church, we read whole passages not simply selected verses.
If all you
know about the Bible is from what others have preached to you, then you are
most likely to be deceived. Like Satan who quoted verses out of context to
deceive Jesus, our men and women of God today are specialists in quoting verses
to mesmerize the people to get what they want. No wonder they are able to abuse
people in the name of signs and wonders. My brothers and sisters, you must read
the Bible for yourself oh. Let the words of God abide in you so that you would
know the truth and you would know when someone is trying to trick you with the
Bible.
It is only
when I am truly connected to Christ, when I love my neighbours as myself, when
I free my heart of hatred, revenge and indifference, it is only when I free
myself from sinfulness, when my heart does not condemn me, and when I abide in
God’s word that I can ask and receive whatever I want from God.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, bring me back to you the vine. Cut off from me everything and
anything that cuts me off from abiding in you. Cleanse my heart of evil and
give me grace to grow above my inclination to sins especially my habitual sins.
Wash me O Lord and implant in me the willingness to read the Bible for myself. Amen.
*Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (The Fifth Sunday
of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 9:26-31, 1st John 3:18-24 and John 15:1-8).
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