HOMILY – FR. JIM NADEAU AUGUST 8, 2021 – 19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August6,2021
HOMILY – FR. JIM NADEAU AUGUST 8, 2021 – 19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Do you know what the most dangerous poison in the world is?
Psychologists and neurologists are unanimous that no other feeling is as strong and dangerous as hatred!
Just as a venomous snake produces venom in itself and its bite is deadly, so the serpent Satan can also produce the venom of hatred and inject it into humans.
Hatred is like a poison that spreads throughout the body. First it fills a person’s thoughts, then leads to malicious words and finally takes possession of one’s emotions. Hate divides neighbors, family members, nations.
The Bible warns us in Ephesians 4:31 that we are to “Remove from you all bitterness, anger, and malice.” Proverbs 10:12: “Hatred stirs up discord, but love covers all sin.” 1 John 4:20: “If a man says I love God but hates his brother, he is a liar.” In Proverbs 14:30 we read, “A heart at peace gives life to the body but hatred rots the bones.”
Only when the love of Jesus finds room in a person, can hatred be conquered and overcome, for His love is stronger than death. The blood of Jesus, sacrificed for our forgiveness, is the saving antidote against the snake bite of hatred.
Open your hearts to the Lord. He will answer you in love. Love is stronger than death. Floods cannot quench the flame of love.