HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT YEAR B (2)
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT YEAR B.
HOMILY THEME: IF ONLY YOU WILL LISTEN
BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu
If you have ever been to a very busy airport and you needed to catch a connecting flight, (of which you know that missing your plane would cost you so much money), then you will appreciate the value of commands, signs and instructions.
Of course, when you have just five minutes to get to a particular terminal where your plane is just about to complete boarding, you will not need anybody to tell you to run notwithstanding the weight of your carry-on luggage. At this point, even if it is a small child that is giving you command about where to go or where not to go, you will say “Thank you” and obey.
Whenever we find ourselves having serious difficulties with following instructions, it is always because we do not appreciate the value of what we stand to gain or we do not believe there is anything to benefit from such instructions.
Our first reading this morning contains a cry from God not only to the people of Israel but to us as well. “Oh that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river…”
Often times, you hear people say keeping God’s commandment is difficult or that it is a sacrifice to follow them. This attitude represents an ignorance of what we stand to gain when we keep God’s commandments.
We want the good things of life yet we do not want to listen to God. We ignore the Word of God and base our everyday decisions on what people say. We believe more in dem say, dem say than in what God says. We fail to realize that truth is truth regardless of our many people believe lies.
John the Baptist came, he was neither eating nor drinking and people started saying he was not normal. Jesus adopted a different style of spirituality; he freely ate and drink even in public, but the people were saying he was just a common sinner. If we live our lives based on popular opinions (dem say, dem say) rather than God’s word, we make grievous mistakes.
God desires our happiness even more than we do. Christmas is a clear proof that God would stop at nothing to ensure our happiness. We just need to trust God and believe that in the seemingly “difficult” commandments lies the key to our everlasting joy. Forget about what people say!
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, I keep my heart and my ears attentive to your word always. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent. Bible Study: Isaiah 48:17-19 and Matthew 11:16-19).
