Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for Tuesday Week 29 Ordinary time - October 20, 2020

DATE : 20/10/2020, Tuesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time (A) EVENT :Mass of the Weekday COLOUR : GREEN READINGS : Eph. 2:12-22; Resp. Psalm 84:9-14; Luke 12:36-38. THEME: BE SPIRITUALLY ALERT Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". Today, I want to reflect with us on the theme, " Be Spiritually Alert". It is a known fact that the spiritual realm controls the physical realm. And sadly enough, this truism is known only by few individuals. As a man of the spirit, St. Paul already informed us that we should be extra careful and spiritually alert because 'we battle not against flesh and blood, but with principalities, powers and strong forces both from the underworld and heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). And St. Peter also cautioned us to be vigilant and be on the lookout for our adversary the Devil is never at rest (1Pet 5:8). Yet, many of us still slumber away in eternal sleepiness. Awake Oh Sleeper. In as much as we are meant to be on guard against the enemy, we are also encouraged to be on the look out for the right time God will beckon on us to do His biddings. Beloved, through the Gospel reading of today, Jesus made it clear that as His disciples, we ought to be awake at all times and ready to hearken to His voice. Beloved, we must realise that just like sleep comes unexpected at nightfall, the devil attacks us when we are most vulnerable, when our resistance level is low, to keep us from heeding the voice of the master when He comes and knocks at the door posts of our hearts. Truth is, just like sleep, the Devil knows when best to strike. He would never strike you in Church while praying, or in a group of fellow believers, or whenever you make up your mind to fight and resist him. No, he will come to you when you think you are now a strong man, when you are alone in secret places and when you are on the crossroads. Hence, never underrate or overrate yourself. For Scripture says: Be careful you who think you are strong and standing, lest you fall (1Cor 10:12). Beloved, if you truly want to follow the Christian path faithfully and live authentically, then you must learn to cultivate spiritual alertness. This will help you firstly to discern the whim and caprice of the enemy's deceit and to overcome the evil plans of the powers that detect the affairs of the world. Secondly, it will help you to remain spiritually awake, ready, dispose and eager to heed the voice of God and so enjoy the promised glory which God has prepared for those who stayed awake, waiting on Him. I pray God to give us the grace of spiritual alertness and open our spiritual eyes to see the realities of life. God bless you Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8) LET US PRAY : Lord Jesus, because you love me, open my eyes to spiritual realities and Fill me with a joyful heart and a generous spirit that is ready to serve and to do whatever you command... Amen @ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪