Be grateful still-Homily for Wednesday of the 12th week in ordinary time JUNE 2023

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Genesis 15:1-12.17-18; Ps.105; Matthew 7:15-20

Be grateful still

The first reading of today opened with a conversation between God and Abram. Every conversation between God and man can be properly called prayer. So, in today’s first reading, Abram was in prayer. It is interesting to note that despite the fact that Abram had been so blessed by God, he still maintained and respected a good prayer life. The wealth of Abram did not make him too busy to have time for God. Abram represents those who seek God not just for their prayers to be answered but because they want to enter into and tarry in a loving relationship with God. For Abram, the joy and satisfaction from his wealth was never a substitute for the joy of being in God’s presence.

When we also consider the content of Abram’s prayer, we realize that he remained humble in his interaction with God. God has blessed him with so much wealth but without a child. Surely Abram desired a child more than all that the Lord had given him. But that did not make him to take his blessings for granted and rebel against God. Sometimes, when God answers our prayer but not according to the hierarchy of our needs, we loose sense of gratitude for what we have received. Worse still, we may conclude that God is not willing or capable of granting us that which our priority is. We may end up seeking help elsewhere. So, it is possible to be blessed and still be impatient with God.

This was not the case with Abram. He remained thankful for what he had received even as he expressed sadness over his childlessness. He did not loose reverence for God by complaining that all of God’s blessings on him was a waste because he had no rightful heir to inherit them. Meanwhile, as at this time, Abram was no longer hoping for a rightful heir. His sad expression can best be seen as a reality he had come to terms with. Yet, he still believed God when he was promised many descendants.

Maybe if Abram had not spoken to God about his lack of an heir, this promise would not have been made to him. What we learn here is to always present all that borders us to God in prayer. We should always believe that God can do something about every situation, no matter how we feel about it. God can either change the situation or change us to better adapt to the situation. Let us not turn our back on God because of what we feel He has not yet done for you. The elsewhere you are turning to is never a solution. In the gospel reading, Jesus tells us that a sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, neither can a bad tree bear good fruit. God will never deal negatively with his own.