DATE : 24/3/2021
EVENT : Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
COLOUR: Violet
READINGS : Daniel 3:14-20,24-25,28; Resp. Daniel 3:52-56; John 8:31-42.
THEME: FIDELITY TO CHRIST REQUIRES UNCOMMON COURAGE
Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this Twenty Fourth day of March, I wish to reflect with you on the theme: " Fidelity To Christ Requires Uncommon Courage". Beloved, have you ever been in a situation whereby your next step or word will determine what will happen to your life? I can still recall what happened to me on a Saturday morning of October 16th, 2003, when I tried to follow a shortcut to Church (since our house was far from the Church), in order to attend my Altar Servers practice in a remote parish somewhere in Kano State. It was about 5:30am, and the day was still dark, when I was rushing to meet up with the morning Mass, and I was attacked by some Muslim hoodlums. They came at me with knives and sticks, demanding where I was headed. After I had told them, they demanded that I remove the Rosary bead I wore on my neck and that I should turn back home. In my infantile zeal and courage, especially as I had read about several Christian martyrs, I refused to do their biddings and tried to struggle with them. Thank God, am alive to tell this story today as a priest.
Dearest, the first reading of today, Dan. 3:14-28, tells of the courage of the three Hebrew youths, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to worship the idol carved by the King. They preferred to die, believing and remaining faithful to the one true God, rather than apostatised and spare their mortal life. Often times, many of us truly promise fidelity to God and have no intention of defaulting. But, we lack the courage to keep to our fidelity in the face of deep trial and difficulty. The fidelity of these three Hebrew youths was not based on anything material. It was not dependent on what they can or cannot derive from being faithful. They were not afraid to hurt their mortal flesh as long as their spirits remain unhurt. They were not intimidated by the physical appearance of their enemy. They had a courage which nothing can quench.
Child of God, from my experience in spiritual direction, accompaniment and counselling, I have come to discover that many of us have a sincere desire to be holy, to avoid temptations and sins. Many of us have the intention of remaining faithful to God even in the face of the most fierce trial. Many of us can even take the vow of maintaining our Christian faith whenever we are confronted by the dreaded Islamic Jihadist (Boko Haram). But whether we have the courage to keep to our promises, our intentions and our sincere desires is a different thing entirely. The sad reality of life is that many us easily fall away to trials and temptations because we are afraid of hurting our flesh or emotions. Some of us are so scared of bodily pains that we can lie, simulate, apostatised or even deny Christ completely just to evade any threat at us. Some of us are afraid to hurt our emotions such that we easily feed our inordinate cravings. We lack the courage to remain faithful to Christ when it matters the most.
Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8).
LET US PRAY : Lord Jesus, grant me the courage to be a true disciple of yours and to die at my post.
The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.
May Almighty God bless you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ....Amen
HAPPY MID-WEEK BELOVED FRIENDS
@ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪
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