CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER OF GOD. (Homily for January 7, 2017. Saturday before the Epiphany).

Bible Study: 1st John 5, 14 to 21 and John 2, 1 to 11.


Our Gospel passage today takes us to that familiar scene of Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding Feast of Cana. Coincidentally, today happens to be a Saturday, a day in this part of the world traditionally set aside for weddings. I wonder how many of those getting married today will remember to invite Jesus and Mary as special guests of honour just in case they run out of wine.

That Jesus was present at a Wedding Feast speaks a lot of volumes. First it shows God’s own approval for marriage as well as Family. Secondly, it shows that whenever we invite Jesus, he never turns down our invitation. Thirdly, it shows that Jesus cares about our happiness and welfare meaning, we should always pray with confidence and great expectation.

This brings us to our First Reading this morning. John says: “This is the confidence which we have in the Son of God, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.” John is saying that whatever we ask from God, we should believe that we have received it already so long as what we are asking is in line with the will of God. And it is the will of God that we should be happy. It is also the will of God that a man should delight in his wife and the both enjoy the bliss of marital life.

Hence, whenever we pray, we shouldn’t worry about whether or not God heard us or whether he is capable of granting it to us, we should rather be asking if what we are asking for is according to God’s will. Most times, we pray for things that are not in line with the will of God, we ask for material things forgetting that “man shall not live by bread alone…”, we ask for wealth, for money forgetting the Cross is still part of our earthly sojourn, we even ask for the death of our enemies when Jesus himself never wished his enemies to die.

Dear friends, Jesus being God knew beforehand that the couple had run out of wine, yet it took Mary’s insistence for him to work the miracle. What does this tell us about prayer? God knows everything about us. He knows what we lack and what we need. Yet he insists that we should ask, seek and knock. The process of asking is not a means of commanding God or informing him of things he is not aware of. Instead, prayer is for our own good. That process of asking helps to put our pride to check thereby making us realize that God alone deserves credit for everything that happens to us.

Prayer is not a question of commanding, it is all about pleading. And when we pray, we must obey the voice of the one to whom we are praying. After pleading with Jesus, Mary said: “Do whatever He tells you.” It would be a contradiction if we fast and pray yet we allow sin rule our lives. We cannot be asking for favours yet go about disobeying God at the same time. Imagine what would have happened if the servants refused to obey the voice of Jesus? Imagine if they refused to fill those jars with water? This is our story and this is why we never seem to see the answers to our prayers.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, double my confidence in you. Amen. Mary my mother, intercede on my behalf. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. Happy Weekend.


Fr. Abu.

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