SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST AS SAINTS, CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO JOIN THE SURVIVORS WHO FOLLOW THE LIGHT OF GOD.

The readings...

It was insufficient to God that Jesus be a servant. Restoring the survivors, Jesus became the light of the nations, God's gift of salvation that reaches to the end of the earth. [Is. 49:3, 5-6]

Christians are called to be sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. [1 Cor. 1:1-3]

Jesus, the Son of God, was revealed to the world as the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit. [Jn. 1:33-4]

The homily...

Imagine that, as an act of love, you gave someone a birthday present. Or, it could have been a Christmas present. I am sure that all of you can relate to this Christian act of love and the joy that you felt in your heart to see someone appreciate the gift. Now, imagine that the receiver rejected your gift, indicating that it was not what he or she wanted, or that it was not expensive enough, or because it was of the wrong colour. Now, surely, your heart would be torn apart. You would be deeply hurt. You might even feel angry and determined never to give that person another gift.

Now, imagine that you were all forgiving and you gave other gifts to that individual, only to have them rejected, one after the other. Surely, there will come a time when you will say, "Enough is enough!" After all, you are human and you can only take so much. But, if you continue to embrace a spiritual heart, you will continue to attempt to please the undeserving person by giving him or her just the right gift. You will persevere, enduring insult after insult, always having a forgiving heart.

In this little example, God is the Giver and we are the receivers. In His Divine love, God perseveres to give us Divine gifts. The Heavenly Father gave us His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. Through Jesus, He gave us the Sacrament of Baptism that opens the door to our salvation. He gave us a new creation that transformed the nature of our minds so we can become like Christ. He gave us the Holy Spirit so we may walk in the light. By the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, we also received spiritual gifts. Through the Holy Spirit, we are being purified as metal is purified through fire so we can inherit the Kingdom of God. And the list goes on...

Now, how would God feel if we were to say to Him about one of His gifts, "God, I do not want that gift!"? Do we realize that this is exactly what most of us do from time to time? You must be wondering what am I talking about! I am talking about the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us in Christ, calling us to be Saints.

Why do most of us reject this gift? It is because it hurts our human nature. Although it is a Divine gift of great worth, a gift that will assure our salvation by assuring our righteousness before God, we tend to reject it.

While it is a spiritual blessing to be called to be a saint and a child a God, emotionally and psychologically, it is a heavy burden to carry in this world. It means to carry the cross that Jesus carried. It means to persevere without looking back. It means to forgive seven times seventy times. It means to keep loving as the Heavenly Father loves us even when our love is being rejected by those we love. It means not being of this world while living in this world. It means to live as a shining star. It means to reject the evils of this world. It means to obey the commandments of God. It means to place God first in our lives. It means to love everyone without exception as God loves us and we love Him.

It means to feed the hungry, dress the naked and give a home to the homeless. It means to visit the sick and the prisoners. It means to turn away from the abuses of foods, alcohol, drugs and prostitution. It means to turn away from gambling, pornography, adultery, and other immoralities. And the list continues...

It is no wonder that so many reject God's gift of being called to be a saint, to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, in today's readings, God once more calls us to come to Him, to be sanctified in Christ so we can become saints. Today's readings reflect the endless Divine love of God that perseveres.

Will we answer that call? Will we make that little extra effort to be sanctified, to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us by the grace of the Heavenly Father so we can shine before the world as Christ does?

Our survival depends on it! It is a matter of life or death! It is a matter of eternal joy or eternal suffering! Once we pass on to the other side, to the spiritual world, there will be no second chance! If we reject God's grace and present calling, all we will be able to say for eternity is, "I wish I would have done different!"

Now is our chance to do things different! Now is our chance to walk the path of light that Christ gave us! Now is our chance to become a Saint!

Let us walk together, encouraging one another to answer our callings so we can all rejoice eternally as Saints, as children of God!

Total: 845 words.

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