Homily: February 15, 2025 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Yes or No)

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 “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

Every one of our Christian journey begins with a very simple thing: “Yes”.

At baptism, the priest asks the parents or the candidates three questions:

Do you renounce Satan? Do you reject sin? Do you reject all that leads you away from God?

If the answer is Yes, Yes and Yes, then he asks three more questions to confirm our belief, the profession of our faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Yes, Yes and Yes. And from that moment, we belong to God totally. Our new relationship with God, our new life as a Christian begins.

Do we then live happily ever after?

Realistically, this is where the struggle also begins.

Growing up, I have said many “Yes’s” to God. Often, I have also said “No” to Him. But more often, My Yes’s were compromised, unaccomplished, unreliable. Often, they were conditional “Yes’s”.

I negotiated and bargained with God, I procrastinated and made excuses. They would sound like “Yes, but…”, “Yes, only if…”, Yes, later…” I said yes based on my terms and conditions.

And I always regretted it. Not once did I feel happy with getting away with my half-hearted, half-baked Yes to God.

Today I am reminded, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

In the first reading today, we heard: “He has set before you fire and water; life and death; good and evil; whichever you choose shall be given you.”

Life is full of decision making. Every day we make choices in our daily life: now or later, this or that, him or her, good or bad. And spiritually, it is the same. Because God sets options before us, He does not force us with only one option. He places before us what is good and evil, life and death, with Him or without Him, and invites us to discern and choose.

He wants us, but He wants us to also want Him willingly.

But truly, too many of us have made poor choices. Choices which we live to regret, choices which led to consequences we can’t undo: burdened lives, broken families, toxic relationships.

But here is the good news: No matter where you are today, you can still make a choice, tomorrow can be different because of the choice you make today.

If you have not been choosing God, you can choose Him now and keep choosing Him daily. One day at a time, and soon you would have chosen a path that leads to brighter days, lighter souls, happier lives.

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Those who love Him are those who chose Him every day. Choose Him and keep to it.

“Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

St. Augustine knew God but kept running away. He thought there was too much in life to throw aside for God. But when he finally said “Yes” to God, he found true joy and exclaimed “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you.”

Another saint, St. Francis Xavier, who was at first a brilliant professor with a promising career. But when he heard the Gospel, he left everything to give his brilliance to building God’s Kingdom. He said ‘Yes’ to God, and brought the Gospel to India, Japan, and beyond.

St. Francis of Assisi left a life of wealth, luxury and comfort to follow Christ in poverty. He said ‘Yes’ to God’s call, walked away from worldly possessions, took nothing and he found true freedom.

St. Edith Stein - St. Benedicta of the Cross - an intellectual genius, once told a friend to forget cleverness and become like a child in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. She said Yes to choosing Christ, faced martyrdom without changing her mind and now she’s earned heaven.

They were not superhuman. They were normal people like you and me. But when they made a decision to say Yes to God, to follow Christ totally, they did not waiver, they did not flinch when there was trouble, they did not change their mind when things got difficult, their Yes meant Yes, till the end.

Lent is near. Lent is about fasting, praying and almsgiving. And that is because Lent is a time to put aside all distractions, all comfort, all conveniences so that we can be relook our decision to follow Christ.

It is about making our “Yes” clear and sure. Simpler and stronger.

Where in your life have you chosen anything but God? This is the time to relook, review and re-commit.

Jesus says today: “Let your Yes mean Yes.” Nothing more, nothing less.

Amen.


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