DAILY HOMILIES #prayer

See how our first reading today ends: “At that very moment, the prayers of both of them were heard in the glorious presence of God. So Raphael was sent to heal both of them: Tobit, by removing the white films from his eyes, so that he might see God's light with his eyes; and Sarah, daughter of Raguel, by giving her in marriage to Tobias son of Tobit, and by setting her free from the wicked demon Asmodeus.” (Tobit 3:16-17)

There will always be people to discourage us from praying, many would tell us that prayers are a waste of time. They would try to shut us down but like Bartimaeus, we must never give in to the pressure of the crowd.

If it were possible to summarize the words of Jesus in last Sunday's Gospel passage, it would be John 15:12 which reads: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus wants us to continue His mission of saving the world by replicating His sacrificial love, especially for our enemies. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus prays for us. In this prayer, Jesus expresses His desires for the Church and also reveals our identity and mission further

If you do not believe that your prayers are capable of changing anything, then you are yet to understand the meaning of prayer. The deeper your confidence in the power and effectiveness of even a single line of prayer, the more you see the result in your life.

Nevertheless, if we fail to fulfil the purpose of our election by God, we would be replaced. This is what plays out in the election of St. Matthias whose feast we celebrate today. His election teaches us a crucial lesson: no matter how good you think we are, there would always be someone who can take your place. Avoid pride.

In our first reading, Paul and Silas found themselves in prison for doing the work of God. Rather than fall into despair, they burst into singing and praying. At midnight, there was a great manifestation of the Holy Spirit. All the prison doors were opened and the chains of all the prisoners there were unfastened.

Jesus says to us: “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46).

Anytime we reflect on the earliest Christian communities as we have it in the Acts of Apostles, we cannot but feel sad at the situation of things in our churches today.

Knowing the weaknesses of others should not make us puffed with pride, it should make us think of ways to help them up. This requires humility; humility to know that your level in life came not by your power but by the grace of God and others who helped you in the past.

It beats my mind that Jonah didn’t even ask them to repent. He didn’t say “change your evil ways. Be good children of God. Stop sinning, etc.” Jonah just went about the city announcing doom and destruction: “Only forty days from now and Nineveh would be destroyed…”

As Jesus explains, the effectiveness of prayer does not depend on the number of words used but on the faith behind each word. We will be heard not because of our many words but because God is a Father who never stops loving His children.