To be Born Anew is to Repent from Selfishness.

Homily for April 10, 2018.

“Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own.” Acts 4:32. 

First question: Have you ever lived with a selfish person?

Second question: Do you sincerely consider yourself as a selfish person?

My sure guess is that while your answer to the first question was positive, your answer to the second was negative. The truth is that no matter how self-centred and stingy we are, we like to think of ourselves as generous, loving and kind. We humans tend to practice selective generosity - we only give to those from whom we hope to get back. If this applies to you, it means you are not yet a Christian.

In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus made a statement that describes the extent of his generosity: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:15. Jesus did not die only for the Jews, neither did he die only for the twelve, not even for his country only, Jesus died for the whole of humanity.

The more you share what you have, the more you get back. This is the secret of life. Wealth is not what you keep but what you give. It is not the size of your bank account that will mourn for you when you die but the amount of people whose lives you touched. As one man of God put it: “Your real wealth is that which you give to people who can never repay you.”

The key to breaking off from the chain of selfishness is being able to remind yourself that nothing in this world belongs to you. Yes. There is nothing in this world that is mine, nothing; not even those that bear my name. The only thing I can lay claim to is my flesh in which I was born but even this flesh of mine will soon be put six feet under the ground, it shall return to the dust from which it came.

Knowing this and reminding myself of this fact should so touch my heart to give; to share. I can never be too poor to give because there are many who define my poverty as excessive wealth. There are many who wish to have even a fraction of what I have. There are many lives I can touch if only I raise my head to look out of my window. I may be so engrossed with my problems but the truth is the way to be happy is to make someone happy. Until I begin to put smiles in the faces of others, I can never be happy.

Yes, we humans are naturally selfish. The earth has not been so fair to our species. As a result of natural disasters, famines, earthquakes, we have learnt to survive by looking out for ourselves even at the expense of other creatures or even fellow humans. Our greatest instinct is self-preservation. This is nature. This is the way we are born. But then, Jesus Christ is inviting us to a second birth; to a new life; a different kind of life; a life that does not operate on the principles of nature – a life that looks out for others, even to making sacrifices for the good of those not related to us. This new life is the Christ-like life. To be born again is to repent from selfishness.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, make me realize that my true security lies in being kind to others. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 2^nd Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 4:32-37 and John 3:14-15).