YEAR A: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 17TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (2)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 17TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: Great Leaders are Prayer Warriors

BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu

HOMILY: Bible Study: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 & Matthew 13:36-43.

“And Moses made haste to bow his head toward the earth, and worshiped. And he said, ‘If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us, although it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thy inheritance” (Exodus 34:8-9).

In the parable of the weeds among the wheat, we can see that there are different kinds of people in the world. The good seed represents those of us who believe in God and are children of the kingdom while the weeds represent the children of the world who love to perpetrate evil.

As much as we live side by side with evildoers, we are supposed to be leaders in our own little ways. Leading others is not easy. Sometimes, like Moses, you may find yourself alone against the crowd. Moses was just one man, yet as one man he was able to bring an entire nation to repentance from idolatry.

Upon returning from the mountain with the stone tablets, Moses could have decided to keep his mouth shut in timidity since the crowd outnumbered him. He could have given in to pressure like the weak Aaron who fashioned a golden calf for them, but Moses stood his ground. He stood for what was right even though it was not popular. Moses did not believe in the dictum: “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Instead, he beat them until they all joined him. This is leadership.

Leadership is not easy, but there is secret to being successful at it: PRAYER. Great leaders are prayer warriors. As a man, Moses was very weak, he lacked physical strength having passed his youthful age. He was a meek person. He couldn’t speak coherently and with confidence (hence the need for Aaron). He feared people a lot, he was even afraid of Pharaoh. His faith was weak but, the success of his leadership prowess came from his constant meetings with God.

Every good leader must have a tent of meeting with God. Every good leader must have the habit of going up to the mountain to consult with God. If we must lead others, let us know that Leadership involves power and power comes only from God. If we are not in tune with God by daily prayer, adoration, visitation to the Blessed Sacrament, we are basically powerless. Without God in our lives, the weeds could suck up our nutrients and we who are wheat would produce a poor harvest.

God already made up His mind to destroy them and raise a new nation from Moses alone but, Moses prayed, he begged God for mercy, he told God how the nations around would reason if they heard the people perished in the wilderness not knowing it was because of their sins. God spared the people. He listened to the prayer of Moses. I do not intend to debate whether prayer changes the mind of God or not, but the point we must take home today is that LEADERS ARE PRAYER-WARRIORS.

If you are a leader in any capacity, be you a Father or Mother, a teacher, a minister, a public official, you will achieve so much by the habit of Praying Always. Don’t be too busy to pray. Never be too concerned about leading, organising or building that you abandon your prayer room (your tent of meeting). Of course, which CEO will refuse to attend a board meeting with his directors (or with the owner of the company) and still hope to succeed? Do we realize the mistake we make by not holding personal meetings with God? Give time to prayer and God who is the only true leader will lead through you.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, equip me each day to be a better leader, Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 & Matthew 13:36-43).