The Power of Discernment.

Homily for June 5, 2018.

“And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to entrap him in his talk.” Mark 12:12-13.

For cleansing the temple, Jesus had obviously attracted a lot of enemies to himself. Jesus did the right thing but it didn’t go down well with those who had replaced God with money; those who had turned the Temple into a den of robbers.

Anyone who does what is right in a world that does not know God cannot escape enemies. Jesus himself said in John 15:18-20: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. … If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.”

How do we survive in a world like this? The power of DISCERNMENT.

Jesus used it very well to defend his life before he willingly offered his life for us on the Cross of Calvary. He wasn’t going to fall into a trap just like that. Jesus knew that people had come to catch him by his words. He knew the question about paying taxes was not from a pure motive to find out his take on the matter but rather a way of setting him up against the Roman authorities. Jesus also knew the mind of the Jewish nation towards their colonial masters; how they hated paying these taxes because it meant that somehow God had failed the people.

If Jesus had said either “Yes” or “No” he would have put himself in trouble from both sides. The Herodians were truly crafty. They came pretending to be friends but were foes, they came disguised as students but were philosophers, they came pretending to praise Jesus but hated him with so much passion in their hearts. But at the end of the day, Jesus put them to shame. He silenced them all at once.

Jesus employed the power of discernment; he knew how to be silent and when to speak. As the saying goes: “Speak only when you have something to say not when you just have to say something.” Just like Jesus did when a woman caught in the act of Adultery, I am sure Jesus did not respond immediately, he took time to reflect and asked the Holy Spirit for discernment. His response was the outcome of his prayer.

Dear friends, there are lots of Herodians in our world today. There are so many persons who come to us as sheep but are wolves inside. There are many persons who pretend to be our friends but are sent to bring us down. There are many persons who come praising and hailing us like there is no tomorrow but are just looking for evidence against us. They would eat with you, laugh with you, tell you their secrets but with evil intent in their hearts.

I feel tempted to give examples here but the truth is that we all have been victims in one way or another to Herodians in our lives. Even Peter warns us in today’s first reading. “Beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability.” 2 Peter 3:17. 

Let us learn from Jesus to employ the power of discernment always. Say a prayer to the Holy Spirit before you utter a word especially in moments of anger, excitement, arousal or pain.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me Divine Grace and Power to know when and how to speak that I may not fall victim to those who seek to destroy me. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 9^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 2^nd Peter 3:12-18, Psalm 90:2-16, Mark 12:13-17).