YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT (2)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT

HOMILY THEME: LENT: DAY 8 – FAST FROM LAX PRAYER; EMBRACE PERSISTENT PRAYER

BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU

HOMILY: READINGS: ESTHER 4C:12.14-16.23-25, PSALM 138, MATTHEW 7:7-12

It was Rabindranath Tagore an Indian poet who said in one of his poems ‘The Angel Child’ published in 1914; “Come take your seat in the bottom of the limitless, my child. At sunrise open and raise your heart like a blossoming flower, and at sunset bend your head and in silence complete the worship of the day”. For him and indeed for us Christians, prayer has to be the key opening our morning doors and the bolt sealing the gates of the night. Today, we are challenged to the art of faithful prayer and precisely, prayer of petition.

TO THE CHRISTIAN, PRAYER IS MORE A WAY OF LIFE THAN AN ATTRIBUTE OF HIS. He is not a Christian (really) who doesn’t pray! When we begin our day with prayer, we invariably tell God like Esther did that we are alone in this world and he is all we have. When we end it praying, we remind him that if not for him (God), we would have perished. Like Esther therefore, may I challenge us to submit humbly to the Lord reminding him that our help comes from him alone who made heaven and earth (Psa. 121:2). May I also charge us to keep asking, knocking, seeking and never remove our gaze from God; only then would he know that our eyes are fixed on him until he shows us his mercy (Psa.123:2b).

In all, beloved brethren, I wish we note that God answers all our prayers, EVEN WHEN HE SAYS NO TO US, IT IS HIS ANSWER. Remember, his plans for us are always for good and not for disaster (Jer. 29:11). God wouldn’t bestow calamity on us when we ask of his favours, he wouldn’t dare to bless us now if same blessing will lead us to our peril. The lesson therefore is that, God answers our prayers in his own way and his way is that of perfect wisdom and perfect love. He desires that we keep on asking, searching and knocking even when the desired response is seemingly unattainable. He wishes we persist and never be discouraged in prayer.

Finally, Jesus ends his discourse with us today with his most universally famous teaching – on interpersonal relationship. If I may alter his words and put the Golden Rule in the negative; “WHAT YOU HATE DONE TO YOU, DO TO NO OTHER”. Assassins hate death yet they kill others, witches and wizards, occults, Satanists and all those responsible for the many evils prevalent in our society today wouldn’t want to suffer as much as their victims do. WHAT IF ALL LOVED ALL; what if man stopped being unkind to man? Ours indeed would be a perfect society. May we live to see that perfect society through Christ our Lord…

FEED AND EDUCATE ONE POOR FOLK AROUND YOU TODAY.

THANK GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS, MY CLASSMATE HAS BEEN FREED FROM THE KIDNAPPERS DEN.