Peace of Mind is Priceless!-Homily for Saturday of the 14th week in ordinary time 15th July 2023

Homily for Saturday of the 14th week in ordinary time 

Genesis 49:29-32;50:15-26a; Ps.105; Matthew 10:24-33

Peace of Mind is Priceless!

The first reading of today demands so much attention and reflection. The matter is about the gift of forgiveness Joseph gave to the brothers. Yesterday we reflected on how Joseph himself benefited from this forgiveness in the reunion between him and his aged father. Joseph’s brothers have always known how much Joseph and his father loved each other; infact, this was one of the reasons they hated him. For them, Joseph is forgiving them simply because of their father. Infact, they believed that Joseph had not forgiven them. So, when their father Jacob died, they thought that the reason for Joseph’s tolerance of them was gone; which means that Joseph will not deal cruelly with them. To show how much their fear was, they had to lie with their father’s name that he had requested as his death wish that Joseph should forgive the transgression of his brothers.

What we find here is hearts that remained untroubled as a result of evil committed. The conscience remains the first and often times the most disturbing judge of man. No matter how much we try to deaden the conscience, the voice of truth from within never stops speaking. In moments of temptation, the devil never reveals to us the unrest we will get from our consciences after sinning. But this conscience has the capacity to reprimand for as long as possible. That is why we continue to experience shame after sinning and relieve after going for confession. When repentance is genuine and sins are forgiven, the conscience is pacified.

Beloved, when your conscience is pricking you, you can never be at rest. The problem is that the disturbance of the conscience is not always obvious to others. Someone may be suffering greatly from the feeling of guilty but may look very confident and cheerful. Infact, man is so deceptive that even while he suffers troubles in his heart for what he has done, he continues to boast of that same evil and lure others into it. Many a times we present the flimsy gain of sin to others while hiding from them what they will suffer from within.

We have so much underrated the priceless nature of a peaceful soul. We have traded peace of mind for what cannot satisfy. Today, some persons move about with so much fears in their innermost being: fear of being caught, fear of having their secrets exposed, fear of being found to have been pretentious, fear that the evil and lies they have done/said against others will be uncovered, fear of being discovered as the black sheep in the family, organization, social group all these years; fear that the illegitimate source of their wealth may be laid bare, etc.

Unfortunately, this fear does not push us to repentance; the devil convinces us that we have gone too far to own-up. That explains why the brothers of Joseph still told a lie to protect their fear. Beloved, you may have suffered or are suffering from a scrupulous conscience. Let the suffering deter you from further learning or engaging in any wrong act or habit. When your senses have assured us that you will not be caught; when reasoning has given you a logical story as cover-up, listen to your heart that tells you that you cannot escape the “flogging” of the conscience. This flogging can take a whole life time and it is the beginning of experiencing hell here on earth. It is easier to endure lack of money, the pressure to sin, the pain of abstinence and perseverance than to bear the “flogging” of the conscience. You may not be caught, but you will surely not have peace. My dear, cherish Peace of Mind; it is priceless.