DAILY HOMILIES #strangers

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.

Jesus did not do guesswork in his choice of the apostles. He didn’t select them according to their good looks or profession. He spent a whole night in prayer, consulting with God, who has plans, before making his choice.

There is more to the Bible than meets the eye. Taking the printed text at face value could confuse you, like the crowds in today’s Gospel passage. The Ethiopian Eunuch must have prayed for insight, and God sent Philip to him. When Philip asked if he understood his reading, the Eunuch was humble enough to admit, “How can I unless someone guides me?”

Abraham was kind to strangers when he had no reason to be; in return, he received a concrete assurance of God’s promise of a son. Avoid practising selective kindness. Be good to people even though they don’t deserve it. Show hospitality to strangers not in expectation of anything in return, not because they deserve it but because you are a Christian. Show hospitality to strangers; they could be Angels sent from God to test you. (Cf. Hebrew 13:2)

There are countless blessings that come to us from being kind to strangers. Many have lost golden opportunities in life just because they refused to help when they came across people with genuine needs. Our help, however, must not be forced, pretentious, nor come from a bitter heart. The story of Mary and Martha has often been explained in terms of the two types of spirituality (the active versus the contemplative) but beyond that, Jesus used this occasion to highlight the dangers of distraction and anxiety. Only one thing is needed: Seek first the Kingdom of God!