My Confidence in Prayer Homily for Thursday of the 9th week in ordinary time JUNE 2023

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 9TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME,

Tobit 6:10-11;7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a; Ps.128; Mark 12:28-34

My Confidence in Prayer

In the first reading of yesterday, we read of the predicament of Sarah, daughter of Raguel which was occasioned by the evil demon Asmodeus. We saw how Sarah cried to God and how God sent Raphael to heal her (as well as Tobit). Today, Tobias is present in the house of Raguel, as the only legitimate person to marry his daughter Sarah. He will be Sarah’s eighth husband. While Raguel acknowledged the fact that Sarah rightfully belongs to Tobias, he is reluctant to give her to him for fear that what happened to the seven husbands may happen to Tobias.

What is interesting here is that even though it was not stated whether Tobias knew what was responsible for Sarah’s predicament or not, he was not only going to marry Sarah, but also as soon as possible. It was until Tobias and Sarah were alone in the bedroom, that we understood the source of Tobias courage: Prayer. All these while, Tobias was not scared by what had been happening to Sarah nor by how people must have exaggerated the story and made their own implications out of the situation. Tobias trust in God was so high that he could not be discouraged. It was not the case that Tobias did not fear death; but he was sure that if he prays, he will not die like the previous husbands.

Beloved, can we say that we have come to trust God as Tobias did? What is the level of confidence we have in prayer? Today, are we still convinced that prayer works or we just pray to fulfill all righteousness? For some persons, prayer is the solution to smaller problems. When bigger challenges come, the other “gods” in whom they secretly have greater confidence will begin to manifest.

My dear, there is no situation that prayer cannot address. Have you prayed? Have you prayed well? Have you listened to what God is saying to you in prayer? Have you washed your hands off iniquities so that your prayer is not an abomination before God? Have you allowed God to use you as the answer to someone else’s prayer? What you ask for in prayer, is it for a good purpose?

Again, from Tobias we learn that if we are persons of prayer, we need not fear the presence or activities of the evil one. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. Like Jesus, should a prayerful person encounter whatever is possessed, it is the Light of Christ that will surely prevail and discard darkness. We must trust God’s word when it says that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Truly, evil exist; make no mistake about that. Yet, we are fearless; not because evil has no power of its own, but because evil is powerless in the presence of God. So, the only reason you will be fearless before evil if you fear God. The psalmist says: blessed are all who fear the Lord. Those who do not fear God, will fear every other thing.