Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for Thursday Week 31 Ordinary time - November 12, 2020

DATE : 12/11/2020, Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time (A) EVENT : St. Josaphat (Opt. Memorial) COLOUR : GREEN READINGS : Philem 1:7-20; Resp. Psalm 145:7-10; Luke 17:20-25. THEME: TO BE A CHRISTIAN AND NOT FORGIVE IS A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". As we celebrate the memorial of St. Josaphat today, I want to reflect with us on the theme " To be a Christian and not Forgive is a Contradiction in Terms". Beloved, there are many contradictions which I have witnessed in the lives of many people who claim to be Christian. I used the word " CLAIM", intentionally because, Christianity is like a habit, a character, a pattern of living that must be consciously practiced. It is not a tag that is to be appended as a prefix to our names. We know from the Acts of the Apostles, that the early followers of Christ were called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26), not because they preached so eloquently or worked great signs and wonders, but because they loved beyond measures, forgave everyone from their hearts, prayed fervently, acted kindly to all they meet, spoke gently even when they were treated harshly, and so many other exceptional pattern of lifestyles which marked them out from the rest of the populace. Beloved, in today's first reading, we hear St. Paul, pleading with Philemon to forgive Onesimus his slave, who defrauded and wronged him. And like a true Christian, Philemon actually forgave and took Onesimus back not as a slave anymore but as a fellow brother in Christ. Dear friends in Christ, Many of us might lose Heaven because of little acts of forgiveness which we could have carried out. Listen to me, forgiveness has nothing to do with one's personality or temperament, as some people with 'hot temper', easily claim. Rather, it is an invitation from God which we ought to struggle to practice daily. Listen to me child of God, if you think yourself a Christian yet, you carry people in your heart, refusing to forgive, you habour hatred in your heart for a brother or sister, and you stylishly avoid people or claim to have nothing to do with them because you distaste their presence, You are a disgrace to Christianity and you have no place in the kingdom of Heaven. That is the simple truth, no amount of prayer, speaking in tongue, tithing, fasting or miracle can change that fact. I pray God to help each of us that we may truly forgivr each other from our hearts, so that after all our struggles and good works on earth, we will not lose Heaven our eternal reward. God bless you #End Sars, #End Political Oppression