There are three homilies here be blessed add you read
Isaiah 26:1-6; Ps.118; Matthew 7:21-27
Fr. Evaristus Okeke
God’s Word strengthens us to overcome sin
In this season of advent, we are anticipating the coming of the Messiah. Yesterday, we saw that this anticipation is with great expectation. Today, the gospel reading teaches us that our anticipation must grow beyond a mere psychological disposition. For our expectation to be concretely meaningful, it must be at some cost. That is, we anticipate the Lord not by merely waiting for him but by preparing to receive him.
It is relatively easy to choose to psychologically anticipate the Lord. Anyone can do it. Where the matter lies is to concretely prepare for him. For this reason, Jesus says that not all those who call him Lord, Lord, shall enter his kingdom but those who were busy doing what will make him to be please with them. A child who sits and waits for the mother to return from the market without carrying out the chores given him/her by the mother, will not find the mother’s return pleasurable.
Without doing the will God, our waiting for him will be meaningless. God’s coming is not without judgment because he comes to establish peace; true peace is founded on justice. It is only a life of righteousness that can give us stability at the face of God’s judgment. Just as you can be sure of food when your mother is among those sharing food in an occasion, in the same vein, we can be sure of salvation if we have been busy doing God’s will.
With the analogy Jesus gave in today’s gospel, it is clear that living by the word of God gives us strength to overcome sin. The man who hears Jesus’ words and does them is able to withstand the rain, the floods and the winds. Counsellors, psychologists and all those involve in guiding human behaviours, continue to prescribe behavioural ways to overcome bad habits. But then, the fact remains that only by the power of God can Satan be defeated.
So, if we must give up sinful habits in concrete preparation for the coming of the Messiah, we must rely on the word of God. The responsorial psalm is clear on this for it says that those who come in the name of the Lord are truly blessed. In the words of the prophet Isaiah in the first reading, they are the righteous nation who have access to the kingdom of God. Only those who prepare for the Lord can belong to the Lord. Today, pray for the grace to overcome bad habits. God Bless You!
Rev. Fr. Dennis Adigwe
The image of rock is found in both readings this morning. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the Lord as the everlasting rock(Is 26:4).In the gospel reading,Jesus declares that those who build their lives on what he says,those who listen to his word and keep it,will be building their lives on rock (Matt7:24).Friends, Christmas is a direct implication of Mary’s”Fiat”to the word of God. We are called this season to live the word of God that we listen to. If we build our lives on all He says and does, He will prove to be a rock, enabling us to stand firm even when the disappointments and sufferings of life leave us feeling very vulnerable.
Rev. Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
The term or phrase “the rock’ is more than just a word that describes an earthly element. It is typically about a Person and more often than not, it describes Jesus Christ and you see this symbolism in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament when referring to either Jesus Christ or God in general. The word “rock” is used 142 times in the Bible but it is more often a reference to God than any other instance. Both readings of today present us with this theme “rock”. Just as a house built on a rock remain reliable. God is ever reliable in the face of storms and other anxieties of life. Therefore we can rely on Him for peace this advent season.
