Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Wednesday Week 18 Ordinary time - August 5, 2020


WEDNESDAY EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II
Jeremiah 31:1-7, Matthew 15:21-28

Be resilient in prayer

There is an adage that says that it is the one who needs something that stretches out the longer hand. You cannot need something and stay in your comfort zone thinking that it will come to you in a platter of gold. It is the same with spiritual things. It is not as if God wants us to stress ourselves before he answers us, persistence in prayer is a sign of faith and trust that God can and will give us what we want. Sometimes we may suffer a great deal, be insulted and maligned in our quest to get what we want, but at the end when God answers us, we will forget all the troubles we have gone through.
In the gospel reading of today, we see a canaanite woman come to Jesus to ask him to cure her daughter who was possessed by a demon. Jesus initially ignored her, but she persisted; later Jesus spoke in parables that seem to be insulting, that he wanted to attend to the Israelites not a canaanite like her. She never took offence but made a joke out of the situation. With her persistence, Jesus answered her and said it was a sign of her faith in God. You do not need to get angry when your prayers seem not to be answered, your persistence can take you to where anger and frustration will deny you. We should've be ready to go through any pain and insults for God to answer us, above all, to make heaven. God help us. Amen.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP

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