HOMILY FOR THE 20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

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Isaiah 56:1.6-7; Psalm 67:2-6.8; Romans 11:13-15.29-32; Matthew 15:21-28.

“FAITH AND PERSISTENT PRAYERS!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      Today the church celebrates the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. The church wants us to reflect on the theme of faith and persistent prayers. On this Sunday, we ought to realize that where faith is deep and prayers persistent, results and testimonies abound.

·      The Catholic Catechism defines faith as a supernatural gift of God that enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed. Faith is an assurance of things hoped for, conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).

·      While prayer is defined as the raising up of our minds and hearts to God. It is communication between us and God our Father. While we take our needs, wants, and supplications to God, in return he grants us our requests according to his divine will.

·      In the Gospel reading (Matthew 15:21-28), we witness the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. For some of us, we may think that Jesus was rather too harsh and insensitive to the plight of the woman.

·      Dearly beloved, as if it is not depressing enough that Jesus ignored the woman and her request, but to refer to her and her daughter as “dogs” was a blow below the belt, humanly speaking.

·      Dear friends in Christ, despite all of these, the woman knew for sure whom she had encountered. Her faith rested on the fact that no one encounters Jesus and remains the same. Therefore her prayers became even more fervent which led to results and testimony.

·      God is still doing wonders every day and every moment, some of us are wondering if our own case is different. We wonder if we are not worshipping the same miraculous and true God or if we are not doing enough to merit his divine touch.

·      Friends in Christ, to attract God’s favour, the prerequisite is an unreserved faith in him even when he is silent or appears to be distant from our pains, sorrows, difficulties, and travails. This deep faith in God must be backed up by persistent prayers.

·      A lot of us are on the verge of giving up on God, we are tempted to try other means. For those of us on this edge, we must realise that if the Lord does not respond when we think he should, he may just be testing our faith and commitment to prayers. So pray more, and trust more in God.

·      My dear brothers and sisters, when we are about to give in to doubt and despair, we must remember that it could have been worse without God. If we prayed and things are not as wonderful as we expect them to be, if we stop praying, things could get worse or even terrible.

·      Today the Lord is challenging us to have deep faith in him and to also be persistent in prayers. We must continue to pray until something happens (PUSH). We must learn to ask for the right things in prayers, seek in the right places (the Church of God) and knock on the right door, surely our request will be granted.

·      While we develop deep faith in God, we must ward off any obstacle impeding us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus. That is why the first reading (Isaiah 56:1.6-7), admonishes us to “have care for Justice and act with integrity (Is. 56:1).

·      The prophet Isaiah calls the mountain of the Lord a house of prayer. We too have come to our own house of prayer which is this church, we must come with the requisite faith and be persistent in calling God in prayer, and surely he will answer and change our story. He will change our narrative into something beautiful and wonderful.

·      Friends in Christ, we must cast away all worries and keep faith in God knowing that “one with God is majority”, and once our faith is deep and prayers fervent, then we will testify like the Psalmist “Let the people praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you” (Ps. 67:4).

·      May the good Lord increase our faith in him, teach us to be persistent in prayers, calm our fears and grant us answers to our prayers through Christ our Lord, Amen!

·      Happy Sunday!!!

 

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