DATE : 28/11/2020, Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time (A)
EVENT : Mass of the Weekday or of the Blessed Virgin Mary
COLOUR: GREEN
READINGS : Rev.22:1-7; Resp. Psalm 94:1-7; Luke 21:34-36.
THEME: GUARD YOUR HEART JEALOUSLY, FOR IT IS THE GATEWAY OF THE DEVIL
Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". As we come to the last day of this week, I want to reflect with us on the theme " Guard your Heart Jealously, for it is the Gateway of the Devil". Beloved, I believe non of us have ever seen the devil physically, but we know he exists because we can feel his manipulative presence in our lives on daily basis. In fact, the devil knows that based on the mental and graphic pictures created of him, if he should come to anyone physically, his chances of success would be very slim, so he would rather not show himself but continually wreck havoc by sneaking into the hearts of men to fill them with poisonous thoughts. Thus Proverbs 4:23 tells us, 'to keep and guard our heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life and death'. Hear me, if you want to stay clear from committing evil, guard your heart constantly and purge it of all misleading desires from the evil one.
Child of God, just like Jesus warned us in the Gospel reading of today, we need to purify our hearts of all sordid desires, of all forms of debauchery and attachment to material realities. Nevertheless, the reality of life is that many of us find it difficult to fight and keep the devil out of our hearts because, we sometimes enjoy the negative and debased thoughts that he throws into our hearts. And we carelessly feed these thoughts by ruminating on them until they eventually materialise. More so, we feel too lazy to practice the habit of constant examination of heart, which would have helped us to detect inordinate desires whenever and immediately they raise their head. Just like Jer. 17:9 foretold, 'the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick', and so, like a sick baby or part of the body, we need to pay special care and attention to our heart for any slightest negligence over it can portend great danger in our race for salvation.
Dear friends, Scriptures tells us in Heb. 13:9 that, we should not be led away by diverse and strange thoughts or teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them'. Listen, if you want your heart to be free from the powers of Satan and his manipulative innuendos, then fill your heart with the word of God in the Bible, read motivational and inspiring literatures, listen to sound and profitable doctrine, see a faith building or interest building movie, and practice a simple prayerful mantra (such as: thank you Jesus, or I love you Jesus, or Save me Jesus, or Have mercy on me Jesus), and let this mantra dominate your every word and thought. Finally, each day, pray and ask God to create in your a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Ps. 51:10). God bless you
#End Sars,
#End Political Oppression
#End Bad Governance
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