Homily: February 17, 2023, Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

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“Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says."

If that did not happen at Babel, we would all be speaking the same language, I would not need to learn Spanish and you would understand me perfectly, right?

Did you wonder, what was so wrong with building a high tower in Babel which would reach up to the sky?

If we look around the cities in the world, we will see many huge and tall buildings. And many are so iconic, making the city they are located at famous and well known. Like the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, Petronas Twin Tower in Malaysia, Burg Khalifa in Dubai, Taj Mahal in India, just to name a few.

Possibly, the question should be, why do people need to build such mammoth buildings?

In the first reading, we are told that the people in Shinar wanted to make a name for themselves. So, it was pride. Their plan would need to use up lots of time and resources to build something which would not serve the real needs of others but to feed the pride of some.

Many of us might not be building any such structures, but we may also be caught up with similar attitudes. To put our energies, health, time and talent to earn lots of money, to achieve worldly success, to make a name for ourselves. We work hard even on Sundays so that we can buy big houses, luxury cars, high-tech gadgets etc. We neglect family and forget God.

We spend our lives slaving for a good material life but forget the more important spiritual life. Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?”

This life is beautiful when it is lived, not spent. This life is happiness when it is offered to God, not to success.

Let us build up our relationship with God, increase our prayers, strengthen our spirit, so that our souls will reach heaven one day, not our achievements, not our money, not our property.

Amen


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