HOMILY OF WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK IN LENT
Daniel 3:14-20,24-25,28, John 8:31-42
THEME: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
It is all shades of wrong to relate to God like a business partner. When we see our relationship with God as a trade, we might loose our faith as times goes on. If his love for us is unconditional, our worship of him ought to be unconditional too, without any strings attached, meaning that, we should keep a strong link with him despite whatever life brings our way. We have a part to play in spite of being humans with shortcomings in order to maintain his love for us, although, he is a covenant-keeping God. In the first reading, we learn lessons from the actions and words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they gave the following answers in response to the threat of King Nebuchadnezzar as they replied, “Your question hardly requires an answer: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected.
There’s no room for fair weather Christians in the kingdom of God. These are those who are faithful only when life seems to be smooth. Our life should not be built on what we get from others. We can be faithful irrespective of what we want to get out of life. We can focus more on what we do for others in our relationships rather than on what we get from them. A friend will always remain a friend regardless. If someone who used to be loving withdraws his or her care because certain expectations from the other party did not happen, he or she was never a friend in the first place. If we can be sincere enough to accept that God has blessed us, nothing should stop us from extending hands of love to others wherever we find ourselves.
We must always be true to our nature. But if our nature is not based on God’s truth, then, lets work towards having a renewed mind so that our nature can be transformed. “To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: ‘If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free.” A personal relationship with God gives us the advantage to live above a mere religious spirit. It helps us to understand deeply how God relates with man, so that we are not stopped by human laws which set boundaries where there are no obvious barriers. This intimacy helps to know how much love God has for us, thereby worshiping him with faith despite our human challenges.
Let the love of God increase in our heart and may our faith in him never be shaken by the world’s standards. Amen.
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