The Homily of Father Jose
May 12, 2024 - Seventh Sunday of Easter
We are created for sharing the Divine life of God
Before ascending to heaven, only forty days after his glorious resurrection, Jesus was praying to his heavenly Father for us. The mystery of the Incarnation reveals God’s infinite love for each one of us. God created human beings to share his divine life and live eternally in heaven. When we sinned He did not forsake us, He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us. So He raised us to the status of adopted sons and daughters through the mystery of the Incarnation.
God became one of us in everything except for sin. He gave up his glorious life and became the poorest of all. He was born in a stable, grew up in Nazareth in the midst of poverty, was often hungry and thirsty and walked through the dusty and rocky roads. Also, He was treated like an outcast, was ridiculed, persecuted and put to death. Jesus willingly accepted all this to save us. Before his ascension He prayed to his heavenly Father to save us from Satan.
We know that Satan is working hard to take us away from God. I find that many people, especially the young, are following Satan who is leading them to eternal hell. It is frightening to see that so many people are following the “Prince of lies”, whose ways are very appealing to the body (i.e., lust, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, gluttony, etc.). We need to stay away from all these sinful acts, which only lead us to eternal damnation.
We have all experienced the great events of Christ in his incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Only one great event remains to be fulfilled, and that is Jesus’ return in glory, His Second Coming. Just as surely as all of God’s other promises have come to pass, so too will this one. Will you be ready for that great day? “Heavenly Father, we believe the Second Coming of your Son Jesus. Help us to prepare for receiving Christ with a clean heart, so that we may go with Him to the eternal kingdom.” Amen