YEAR C: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY (3)
HOMILY: _“Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has
YEAR C: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY
HOMILY THEME: THE GRAVITY OF SIN.
BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu
HOMILY: “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.” (1 John 3:7-8.)
Just like yesterday, St. John hits hard on the meaning and danger of sin in our lives as Christians. According to him, sin not only removes us from our status as God’s children, it also makes us children of the devil. “Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”
John does not stop there, he goes on to say: “Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God's seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God.” The moment Adam and Eve sinned, they could no longer remain in the Garden of Eden. As children of God, we cannot sin – meaning we cannot afford to swim in sin lest we lose our identity as children of God.
By saying “we cannot sin”, John was actually saying: “we cannot afford to give up on ourselves as far as fighting temptations is concerned.” Just as God saw the efforts of the Ninevites when Jonah preached a message of repentance, God loves to see the efforts we are making so as to assist us with his Power. GRACE BUILDS ON NATURE.
In our Gospel passage, we see John the Baptist having introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God allow two of his disciples become followers of Jesus. In John 3:28-30, we hear John the Baptist saying: “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
And therein lies the key to living above sin. It is a matter of allowing Jesus increase in our lives; it is a matter of giving more time to the things of God; a matter of feeding the spirit more than the flesh.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, fill me with your grace to live above sin. Amen
Happy New Year. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of Christmastide. Bible Study: 1st John 3:7-10, Psalm 98, and John 1:35-42).
