Be Kind – God always Provide-HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME JULY 2023

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Genesis 21:5, 8-20a; Ps.34; Matthew 8:28-34

Be Kind – God always Provide

The birth of Isaac was clearly an extraordinary work of Divine Grace in the life of Abraham and Sarah. While this grace was gratuitously given, all the while, it has been Abraham who has been interacting with God, who pleased God through his faith and righteousness, and who was promised a child through Sarah; a child through whom Abraham will become the father of many nations. From the action of Sarah in today’s first reading, its either she never understood how the Lord had been journeying with them or she was simply greedy.

She was displeased that her son Isaac was playing with Abraham’s son from their slave woman Hagar. For Sarah, such close interaction will amount to the slave woman’s son sharing Abraham’s property with her son Isaac. Now, Abraham was very rich; but Sarah wanted everything for her son alone, not minding that the other child was Abraham’s as well. One would expect that haven experienced barrenness for many years and haven been shown extraordinary mercy, Sarah too would have learnt how to be gracious towards others.

The attitude of Sarah is the attitude of some Christians today. We practically make trouble and perpetuate wickedness with the gifts God has given to us. Such does not please the Lord. At first, it was surprising that the Lord asked Abraham to obey the words of Sarah by sending the slave woman and her son away with very little that can only sustain life for a few days. So it was obvious that humanly speaking, the slave woman and her son will die of hunger. This implication did not border Sarah who from her years of barrenness ought to have learnt the value of a child. Maybe at those moments when we feel that God is not answering our prayers, we should first cross-check if we were gracious to others with the previous answered prayers.

At the wilderness of Beersheba, God provided for Hagar and her son. God was with the lad such that he could live a meaningful life in the wilderness. Sarah sent them away that they may not share in Abraham’s wealth but the Lord blessed them in the most uncommon place: wilderness. Beloved, do not lose your sanity or become frustrated and depressed because you were deprived of what is yours. If God allowed it to happen, it is because He can and has a plan to gift you in another way. Like Hagar and the lad, we should learn to cry out our frustration to God in prayers. Our God is never blind to injustice. The psalmist tells us that the lowly one called and the Lord heard him.

On the other hand, be an ambassador of whatever gift you have received from God. If we are not sharing what God has given us then we are not grateful at all. The kindness you can show today, do not postpone or ignore it. God will always bring people your way for you to help them but he will take charge and provide for them if you fail to help. Be careful, no man is almighty.