Homily: September 14, 2022, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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 “Everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

Easy peasy, right? Just believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life.

The World population as of September 2022 is 7.97 billion. Only 2 billion are Christians including Catholics, Protestants and other Christians. That is only 25 per cent.

And out of this 2 billion Christians in name, how many actually live the life of a true believer? A true believer follows the master, and that means carrying the cross of faith, like the master did.

Among our family circles and friends, we see many who are baptised and raised in the faith but are living without any affiliation to faith or even against the faith. 

God made salvation so accessible and available, yet many reject it. The reality is, many want to live forever but do not want to commit to a life of faith that comes with believing. Many reject the cross.

In the first reading, we see the Israelites complaining against Moses and God. They are the people who had seen all the mighty works of God, yet they were so quick in rejecting Him when the excitement was over, when food became plain, when days became boring. The people forgot the hardship and sufferings of their past enslaved life. They began to take the present peace and freedom for granted.

Similarly, after performing so many miracles and showing numerous signs, Jesus’ disciples also failed to fully believe in Him. They wanted victory without the cross, success without the pain.

What about us? Are we believers in name only or are we also practitioners? Do we have faith strong enough to endure the crosses of life? Are we firm enough to walk with Him all the way to the crucifixion? Do we accept and practise all the precepts and teachings of the church He founded?

For whatever we are lacking in faith, let us cry out, “Lord, I do believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)


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