DAILY HOMILIES #prayer

God inspired both creation accounts; they are not journalists’ reports of creation. Far from revealing the details of “how” the world was made, they both seek to tell “why” the world was created. Some questions answered by the second creation account include: “Why are males sexually attracted to females? Why does marriage exist in all human societies? Why does the human family exist? Why do parents have such strong love for their children?”

Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was God, meaning there was no need to bring the baby Jesus to the temple, but in humility (not wanting to appear like the special ones in their community), they followed the law. They presented God to God. Today’s Second Reading states: “He had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17).

The failure of the scribes and Pharisees to see that God was in their midst despite their familiarity with the scriptures goes to prove the point of today’s first reading: “For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” (Hebrews 4:2).

Today’s feast, the baptism of Jesus, marks the second significant moment of the revelation of Jesus’ divinity. Luke reports: “When Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee, I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21-22). All those present at the baptism of Jesus saw the dove and heard the voice from heaven. Like the Magi, they must have fallen on their faces to worship Jesus when they saw this mighty display of God.

After listening to the leper’s prayer, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying: “I will, be clean.” In other words, I desire your healing. I want you to be strong and healthy. Sickness, pain and misery do not glorify God. Avoid concluding that God does not care about your condition or that God is punishing you for your sins. Regardless of what you are going through, God only desires the best for you. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God could have decided to come in another way, but because He wanted us to have a physical, flesh-and-blood connection with Him, He took flesh in the womb of a woman. This is to say that God became a son of man so that man can truly become the son of God. God chose to have a mother to show us how close He is to us. God wants us to have that feeling of warmth in His presence so that we see ourselves not just as slaves but as His children.

The best remedy for bad fear is prayer. Yesterday, we heard the prophet Isaiah say, “That those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary.” Today, God assures us: “Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge… I will open rivers on the bare heights and fountains amid valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water…”

Jesus asked the two blind men: “Do you believe I can do this?” Whenever you go on your knees to pray, picture God asking you this question, and please answer it sincerely. Was this question necessary? Jesus needed to ask them because the truth is that not all those who cry and shout in prayer have faith. Not all those who say “Lord, Lord” will enter God’s kingdom.

Like falling in love, the beginning is usually very sweet; you think about the person all day, and you are ready to do anything for them, but as time passes, familiarity creeps in, the fire goes out. Upon conversion to the faith, the Ephesians must have begun many devout practices pleasing to God, but over time, these practices faded away.

Faith will keep you going despite the failures you encounter. Edison believed in his vision, and even when he failed repeatedly, he wouldn’t stop. This is the kind of faith we need in God – a faith that continues to believe regardless of our failures or disappointments. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus uses the parable of the woman and the unjust judge to teach us the need for persistence in prayer.

As much as we must respect the house of God, we must never forget that our very bodies are also dedicated temples of God. Today, we are called to cleanse our minds and hearts. We are called to make a whip of cords and search through our lives for any sinful inclination or vice that pollutes the temple of our bodies.

Are you struggling to accept Jesus’s teachings? Does the cross seem too heavy for you? Ask God to help you. Prayer is the key. Jesus says: “With men, it is impossible.” Relying on your strength alone (intelligence, money, self-discipline, connections, etc.), you cannot be Christian. You must be connected to God through daily prayers to gain the strength to live out your Christian call. Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).