Homily: June 15, 2023, Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Spirit of Freedom).

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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Most of the third-world countries, including my home country, have a long history of colonization, oppression, discrimination, injustice, and slavery. So, finally when we attain independence, presumably gaining freedom as a nation, we celebrate it.

The freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives are the national heroes. In the schools in India, students will study numerous stories and poems written before the days of independence to help them understand the painful history of the country and instill in every child a deep sense of national consciousness and patriotism. Some things in history must not be repeated.

Spiritually, we too can be enslaved. With the fall of our first ancestors, we all became slaves to sin. The disobedience of Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world, which has been transmitted to all mankind. We are not guilty of their sin, but we are all affected by it. We become enslaved.

Only through baptism can we be cleansed and restored to a state of grace. Through His death, Jesus restored our freedom. Freed from original sin so that we have the power to choose good over evil, right over wrong, obedience over disobedience. 

We are restored back to how it was originally, we are now answerable for our own actions. But we do not act alone, through the various sacraments, the Lord fills us and guides us with His Spirit.

But every time we fall into temptation, make a wrong choice and commit sin, we forfeit the freedom bestowed upon us as children of God.

Satan continues to tempt humankind, to rob us of the freedom granted by God. His purpose is to enslave us through the same prideful disobedience, to make us lose the freedom as children of God.

So let us pray for all those who are lost in the world, particularly our youth who might have been misled into following the path of evil in alcohol, drugs, and pornography.

We are made for freedom thus our hearts will always yearn for it, like a colonized nation yearning for it. Only by following the Spirit will we find it.

We pray for the Spirit of the Lord to guide us back into His loving embrace, the state of grace, the joy of freedom. Amen.


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