DAILY HOMILIES #faith

Like the workers who were recruited for work in the vineyard at different times of the day, we are not all gifted the same way, we were not all born the same day, and we did not come to know God the same day. However, in the end, we all shall be rewarded not according to how much work we have done but according to what is rightfully our due.

The fact that you prayed and did not get what you asked for does not mean that God does not care for you; it does not mean that God is powerless. Keep speaking faith-laden words. Trust God.

It is when you encounter a serious problem that you are able to know whether or not you have faith; whether you will move forward like Caleb and Joshua or whether you will sit down to cry your brains out like the Israelites.

When you do something continuously for a while, you soon begin to take it for granted. It is not surprising to see many Christians today who do not believe in the power of prayers anymore; Christians who look down on God and on His ability to intervene in their lives. Even though most of us pray, we do not even expect the things we pray for.

Faith does not begin with the miracle, rather it attracts the miracle. Keep believing that things would get better, that something great is coming ahead of you, that no matter what you are facing right now, it will soon pass away.

Today, our readings present other obstacles to faith which we must avoid such as hostility towards God, familiarity, falsehood and pride. Whether we like it or not, these are factors responsible for the scarcity of miracles in our churches today.

Abraham went to the extent of tying Isaac on the pile of wood because he believed that God was capable of giving him more sons. Four men opened the roof of the house where Jesus was to bring in their paralytic friend because they believed that an audience with Jesus was all he needed to be healed. The question is: “What do your actions say about your faith?”

They probably assumed that if Jesus were to cure all the demoniacs in their city, there might not be any livestock left. Has it ever occurred to you that like these people, there are times we kick Jesus out of our lives all because of our pursuit of (or perceived loss of ) some material riches?

In the midst of the panic, the disciples were surprised to see Jesus sleeping and the cushion, and when they woke Him, He not only spoke to the winds and the sea, He said to them: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” In today’s Gospel passage, we hear something very similar from the lips of Jesus, this time, He addressed the synagogue official whose daughter was feared dead: “Do not fear, only believe.”

While the leper believed that God was capable of doing anything, Abraham fell on his face and laughed when God told him that his wife Sarai would have a child.

Where Jesus is present, nothing spoils but when we are not on the same boat with Jesus, when we are walking in sin and disobeying His commands, then we are just on our own! The couple at Cana needed not be afraid because they were wise enough to invite Jesus and his mother to their wedding. (Cf. John 2:1-11).

Above all the message of the book of Tobit is that God answers prayers. God cares for His children. God is not pleased with our tears, deprivation, injustice, and suffering. God is ready to go to any extent to save us. Whatever it is you are experiencing now, don’t give up on God. Continue to pray and one day, your miracle will happen.