Homily:January 17, 2023, Tuesday of the second week in Ordinary time

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 “We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfilment of hope until the end.”

When I read this phrase in the first reading, another phrase in the gospels came to mind: ‘The one who perseveres to the end will be saved’. 

It is very easy to lose hope in this world which is so result oriented and often unforgiving of failures. There were many times in my life when I thought I will be a total failure, when I missed the mark. 

In schools and workplaces, we see students and workers being labelled as losers or failures in life if they could not meet certain expectations or tasks. Nobody wants to invest their time and money on these people. Nobody cares that they are valuable in God’s eyes.

Is this how it will be in the Kingdom of God?

If we apply the same practical logic and rationalise with the same lens of this world, the life of Jesus and His public ministry would look like a miserable failure. As Mother Angelica commented, “Even after healing and performing miracles, Jesus could not get twelve friends to stick by Him."

Is that true?

Not completely. Yes, dying on the cross as a criminal is not success in any sense. We see the lives of many saints, they too were unjustly accused, misunderstood, killed or died a painful way even though they were kind, gracious and helpful to others. So did they all fail?

Their stories did not end there. Jesus died on the cross, and that’s not the end. He resurrected. He ascended. And He will come again. And the saints too, miracles that happened through their intercession are testimony that they did not fail in death. They have successfully entered paradise.

Our stories will not end in death too. Our hope is not in this life, but in the life after death. And we are hopeful because it is not through our own merits or efforts, it is through Jesus that we will arrive in paradise. He has already won it for us.

Whether we are successful or fail in this life, it doesn’t matter, our future is secured as long as we follow Jesus. This is hope, this good news.

So, let us not give up, let us look forward to ‘the fulfilment of hope until the end’.

Amen.


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 He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” There was a violent storm and the boat was going to sink. Naturally, anyone would be terrified. Why did Jesus continue to sleep when they were all in danger? Was it unreasonable of them to wake Him? Why did Jesus rebuke them? Well, Jesus rebuked them not because they interrupted his sleep but because of their lack of faith. They were calling, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” They were so sure they would die. They called out in fear. They have seen so many miracles from Jesus, yet they did not have any confidence having Him in the boat with them. Should they not wake Him at all then? I have a very good friend from Sri Lanka. During our seminary days together, I remember he struggled a lot with his studies, especially in the first year.  He was trying so hard but was feeling helpless and hopeless. One day, his spiritual director told him, “Jesus is sleeping in your boat, you have to call out to Him. He will wake...
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