"Before man are life and death, good and evil": (((Homily))) 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

It's estimated that men spent 11.4 Billion dollars this past Valentine's Day on gifts for their significant other. That's a lot of expensive chocolates and flowers! When we break it down, each man on average doled out a whopping $153.65. As commercially laden this holiday has become, the heart of this spending is actually stunningly biblical. Genesis 1:26 reveals that each person is created in God's "image and likeness." Stamped within every human being is is the God-given gift of free will which makes love possible. Love is always a choice; it can never be forced. That is why men spend billions of dollars -- to woo the heart of the beloved. God is no different. Faced with our free will, He now must entice humanity to freely choose Him. How? We need only look at Jesus crucified. He could have easily saved us through a paper cut on his thumb but instead allowed himself to tortured in the cruelest of ways. Jesus dying on the cross is God's spectacularly wild take of expensive chocolates and flowers.   --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give