Rev. Fr. Michael ADEBOLA

Grace and mercy upon you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Happy Sunday to you all.

Today, the Church invites us all to reflect deeply and pray fervently for the gift of unwavering faith. Faith is one of the three theological virtues pertinent for the Christian life. The readings today strongly express that undiluted and unwavering faith attracts God's mercy.

God's mercy is boundless and universal. It is not limited to a particular race, language, nationality or achievement in life. However, as boundless and gratuitous God's mercy is, we need to reach out and make effort in good faith to enjoy God's mercy. The beautiful words of St Augustine comes to mind in this regard - "God who created us without our knowledge will not save us without our cooperation." God sincerely invites everyone into a lasting relationship with Him, the only thing God requests from us is unwavering faith in Him.

In today's first reading, Prophet Isaiah preaches God's awesome plan of salvation, beginning with Israel the fruit of God's gratuitousness, who is always special in the sight of God. conf. (Exd 4:22) God is mysterious because His ways are not our ways and His wisdom surpasses human capacity.  God's plan of salvation never ends with the Israelites. In fact, Israel is the conduit by which He would later reveal Himself to the whole world. God is not the possession of a particular race or people or religion, He is the creator of all and He governs all. The psalm today reiterates the omnipotence of God by exclaiming- "so will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help. Let the people's praise you O God, let all the people's praise you." (Ps 67)

My dear Friends in Christ, the message of Prophet Isaiah is direct and clear, God's mercy is universal. He extends His saving grace to every nation and everyone who accepts and follows the divine path to salvation. Prophet Isaiah reminds us that those who choose to love the Lord remain faithful to Him and serve Him wholeheartedly. Hence, to love God is exemplified in obedience and not lip-service.

The second reading also resonates the gratuitousness of God's mercy that extends beyond the Jewish world to the Gentiles. Saint Paul reminds them thus - "Just as you were disobedient to God but have now received mercy, because of their disobedience in order that by the mercy shown to you, they also may receive mercy." (Rm 11:30-31)

 

Dear brethren, there is nothing God has not completed in His plan of salvation, what is left is our cooperation; the readiness to collaborate with God. God does not impose. He respects the freewill He has granted us and patiently waits for us to make the choice of accepting His call by ourselves. When St Paul shared the Good News, he spoke about the mercy of God being available to all, but that does not translate that everyone will automatically be saved, irrespective of the life we live differently; rather God's mercy is available to everyone who knocks on the door of mercy by accepting God's love and building up the faith in obedience to the path God has laid down for us.

The gospel reading gives a practical example of unwavering faith exemplified. In the Gospel, we encounter a Canaanite’s woman whose daughter was terribly ill. At first, Jesus appeared unconcerned and nonchalant by the Canaanite woman's request. The disciples suggested to send the woman away for the unnecessary attention she was bringing them by shouting. The woman did not relent.

The attitude of Jesus in this particular chapter of Matthew's gospel appeared unlikely. Jesus ordinarily is full of compassion and love but in this gospel reading, He assumed a different approach which is a lesson in itself. Jesus was not going to refuse her, her resilience in faith would later win her favour.  Jesus is teaching us that DELAY IS NOT DENIAL. Jesus does not refuse a humble, stranded and helpless soul, but teaches us that persistence in faith and in our spiritual journey is crucial to accessing God's mercy. Resilient Faith like that of the Canaanites woman, is what God demands of us.

Dear Friends in Christ, when we pray or make requests from God and we don't get responses early enough, let us learn to persist in prayer. Let unwavering faith, accompanied with resilience, be activated in our souls and the mercy of God will speak for us. My dear people of God, do we still have faith in God? How enduring is our faith? Let us train ourselves to wait on God. Where else do you think you can go and get it right? Like Peter said - "to whom shall we go, you have the message of eternal life." (Jn 6:68) The Canaanite’s woman knew she had gotten the solution to her problem, even when Jesus seemed to pass her by, she did not relent, she did not become weary and resigned to fate; she remained resilient and kept on presenting her predicament to Jesus. Jesus took her through a severe faith challenge forum and she succeeded.

Finally dear friends, God does not discriminate; He is for all. Humble yourself before God, shun laziness and never doubt the power of God to save you. His mercy is incomprehensible and boundless.

Prayer: God, increase my faith, draw me closer to your divine mysteries and give me the grace to abide in you and cherish your love forever. Amen