DAILY HOMILIES #prophecy

As far back as the book of Numbers, Balaam had already prophesied about Jesus Christ. “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.” (Numbers 24:17)

Today’s first reading pays a glowing tribute to Elijah. Not many people have such beautiful tributes. I once read a quote: “Live a good life so that no one will be forced to lie about you during your funeral.” Like John the Baptist, we are all called to become Elijah today.

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.

Try to put yourself in this young man’s shoes and allow the words of Jesus to resound again in your ears: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you possess and give to the poor.” Are you going to walk away? Will you bluff over this message and go about your normal day-to-day activities? Or will you take an excursion to your wardrobe and bring out clothes you no longer need so that you can clothe some poor people who cannot afford such?

New wine is good. Old wine is also good. The problem is using old wineskins to store new wine or vice versa. This parable points to the importance of timing. Your plans may be perfect, but if it isn’t the right time, you will pour new wine into an old wineskin. Sometimes, God does not answer our prayers because He knows the timing is wrong. Do not lose trust in God. If the wedding guests cannot fast now, the time will come when they will have no choice but to fast.

Inspired by their faith, some persons brought a paralysed man to Jesus. Matthew reports that Jesus ‘saw’ their faith. This means faith in God is visible in our actions before or after praying. A certain village experienced drought for some years. The elders met and decided the entire village would gather in the market square on a certain day to pray for rain. As they were about to begin the prayer, they noticed that only one little girl came with an umbrella. They had all come to pray for rain, but only this girl was expecting rain.

Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple to do what the law prescribed. They knew that Jesus is God, yet they obeyed the law, presenting God to God. In other words, they knew 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.

While David opted to build a house for God, Mary agreed to become a living tabernacle for God. Humility is not necessarily thinking less of ourselves but giving God His due.

As in Isaiah's time, the people who listened to him could only imagine what he was talking about. Nonetheless, as we see in the Gospel passage, Isaiah's prophecy became a reality in the feeding of the multitude. Dear friends, the message for us today is very simple: Everything God has revealed in the Bible must surely come to pass. God never fails.

St. Joseph is a kind of Abraham; he believed the message of the Angel and agreed to be the earthly father of Jesus Christ, this way giving credence to the prophecy of Nathan which we read about in today’s first reading. An offspring from the house of David whose house shall be established forever.

A prophecy may take time to materialize, but as long as it is coming from God and not merely from one’s imagination, it must happen. Quite sadly, we live in an age of fake prophets; prophets who see visions according to the size of people’s pockets.

Life is hard. Nothing good comes easy. Bad things happen without warning. Life will always give you reasons to complain. Problems are never exhausted. But how are we to stay alive and win? Faith! Believe and keep believing. Prayer works. God cares.