Mar. 7, 2012 Wednesday: Divine Mercy Mass Homily

In my early college days, I had some books  very similar to a bible on my book shelf. The cover of these books didn’t read, “The Bible.” Instead, they read, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” “Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!” The premise behind these self-help books is that you can change something about yourself  --- the way you feel, how likable you are, and the outcome of your future. The central driving force behind these changes is you. You are the best teacher, you are the best problem solver, and you are the best reference. No wonder I went around in circles while I was reading these books. I was a lousy teacher, a poor problem solver, and deficient reference. I made moral mistakes by listening to my own pride, anger, impatience, lust, and jealousy. In the computer world, there is a simple analogy for all this: if you feed garbage to the computer, garbage will come out.

I didn’t do what I learned as a child: to get on my knees. We don’t listen because we do not humbly acknowledge that we have only one teacher, Jesus,  and we have only one father, our Heavenly Father. Only Our Lord and Heavenly Father will solve our problems and issues. Many of the world claim to have the answers to our problems. Yet despite listening to these experts, we continue to harm one another, to disregard life, to have broken families, and to have troubled hearts. When I hear young people in counseling or confessions, I can tell that what’s going on in their house is affecting them. It’s amazing how young people soak-in like a sponge discord or trouble at home; it affects their school work, their relationships, and the way they feel about themselves. How important then is to have peace at home! But how will we achieve peace at home and in our lives? We only need to look to Our Lord and His Father for the help we need to live in this world. Are we convinced of this? How tempting it is for us to place ourselves as the answer to our problems—pride and impatience gets the best of us. Listen to what Jesus told St. Faustina:

“True greatness of the soul is in loving God and in humility (427). Know that a pure soul is humble. When you lower and empty yourself before my majesty, I then pursue you with My graces and make use of My omnipotence to exalt you…Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces. You know who you are.” We must put on Our Lord’s love, and we must go into the world and reveal our Lord’s love. There is no better wisdom than this.