Bible Readings: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13; Psalm 115; Matthew 9:32-37
During this lockdown, one of the ways we have been able to keep in touch and continue to support one another spiritually is through zoom.
However, not everyone is able to understand how the zoom works. Some do not know how to turn their videos on, some do not know how to mute or unmute themselves, some don’t know how to see other participants, some don’t even know how to leave the meeting room when the meeting is over.
One of the recurrent embarrassing situations is that sometimes somebody is unaware that he/she is unmuted and so they say things that are not meant for other participants to hear.
Hence, every administrator or meeting host needs to be alert so that he/she could quickly mute such persons before the meeting becomes chaotic and disorderly.
This is exactly where I am going, every one of us is an administrator of his or her life, you are to govern your life in a manner that is orderly and pleasing to God and in a way that will bring you happiness.
As such, you must be alert and know when to mute some voices that are not needed in the business of governing your life properly.
There are two intervening voices that you must be beware of and be very quick to mute:
- Any voice encouraging you to do something that contradicts the word of God.
In today’s first reading, the people of Israel unmuted the voices of nations around them, they listened to their counsels and abandoned God, they joined in idolatry like other nations and so they moved away from the path of happiness, blessing and freedom.
Please mute every voice advising you to disobey God and go against His commands. If only Eve had known this, things could have been different for humanity.
- The voice of discouragement and negative criticism.
Any voice judging you wrongly and negatively, every voice bringing discouragement into your life, every voice condemning your good effort, please mute it.
This was what Jesus did today, he performed a great miracle of healing but the Pharisees came with bitter criticism. Jesus muted them and went on with his ministry of compassion without even paying any attention to their malice.
Even the devil knows this principle, that was why he muted the demoniac. The Jews performed exorcism by getting the demons to say their names and then the exorcist will gain control over them. In the case of this demoniac, the demons muted him so that they won’t be at risk of expulsion.
If you don’t know how to mute some voices and you allow every voice in your life, you are at the risk of swaying from the path of righteousness and the lane of happiness.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Gukena Okami on July 7, 2020.