7TH THURSDAY HOMILY OF THE EASTER — YEAR A

7TH THURSDAY HOMILY OF THE EASTER — YEAR A

HOMILY THEME: TAKE COURAGE

BY: Fr. Paul Karabari 

Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Psalm 15(16):1-2, 5, 7-11; John 17:20-26

‘Take courage, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.’

“To walk out of God’s will is to walk into nowhere,” according to C.S. Lewis. And it must be added that staying true to and remaining in God’s will needs a great deal of courage. This is because
there are times in life when God seems distant. We pray but feel abandoned, at the mercy of our circumstances, we become afraid and hopeless. Some other times, the help that comes from God doesn’t satisfy us. This feeling can continue to come unless we leave everything completely in God’s hand. When Paul wrote, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” he meant that he consigned himself, together with his personal interests, values, and all that human beings call personal choice to God. He was like someone being acted upon, though his freewill wasn’t taken away.

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In the First Reading (Acts 22:30; 23:6-11), Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and put in prison for preaching Jesus Christ. To face the troubles life daily with no sign of relief, to be stripped bare of loved ones, and to stand alone in the midst of so many accusations is not easy. Paul must have been disheartened as he awaited the next turn of distress. But Jesus appeared to him and said, “Take courage” (Acts 23:11), with the promise to help him in Rome as in Jerusalem. We need the grave and strength that come from God.

To miss out on your assignment in life is to miss out on why God put you on earth. You are gifted and called by God, and you need to take it seriously. The question is not what are you running from, but what are you moving toward? To succeed you must know God’s will and concentrate on fulfilling it. Having a powerful ‘why’ will provide you with the necessary ‘how.’ Purpose, not money and talent, is your greatest asset.

As we walk daily on our Christian journey, we may find something that will disturb us, disappoint us, or dishearten us. At such moments, we must look up to Christ our helper. We must always remember that the measure of our faith in Christ is the measure of our light in darkness and strength in trials. Those who have Christ for their protection have an inner strength that is never taken away by adversity. So take courage, you will overcome. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our country, Nigeria, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen . Please, stay safe. Good morning.

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