Faith is not Magic.

Homily for August 20, 2017

Have you ever prayed for something only to get silence from God? The story of the Canaanite woman is one that relates to such experiences. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells us: “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Now, can we say the Canaanite woman’s faith was not up to the size of a mustard seed? Definitely this cannot be the case. If she did not believe in Jesus at all, she would not have come to him in the first place. For Jesus to have completely ignored her at first teaches us a very important lesson: that faith is not magic.

There were times Jesus healed people instantly so as to why Jesus decided to ignore this woman at first shows that receiving answers to our prayer is up to God and not us. Yes, when we pray, we should not go with the disposition of receiving immediate responses from God as though God is our errand boy.

That this woman had to wait patiently until she finally got the attention of Jesus begs the question as to whether it is possible for instant miracles to be displayed on stage as we often find in our churches and crusade centres. Are those miracles really from God? Does it mean that certain human beings are now greater than God such that each time they gather a crowd, they are able to perform instant healings? How come those healings only happen in the from a camera?

A simple test of the genuineness of these acclaimed miracles will be to ask, who takes the glory? God or the person who begins to call himself or herself a healer? This woman assumed the position of a dog begging for crumbs that fall from the master’s table. Do we find such an attitude in today’s self-acclaimed wonder workers?

When I pray, do I realize that I don’t really deserve anything from God? Do I remind myself that just like the Canaanite woman, I am also a stranger who does not belong to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel?”

Dear friends, we live in an age where people have a strong appetite for magic. We do not care about worshiping God or keeping his commandments, but we want to see instant cures, instant wealth, instant jobs; instant everything. People are living in sin, committing all sorts of atrocities, yet they come to church not to be told the truth but to hear that all is well, that God will do miracles for them if they sow a bigger seed.

For many today, God is nothing more than miracle-performer, wealth provider and security guard. Churches are now miracle (magic) centres. Pastors are now even rated according to their ability to perform magic. It has gotten so bad today that churches now compete with one another as to the number of miracles and testimonies recorded while some go to the extent of consulting occult powers just to keep their large flocks entertained in the name of miracle.

Dear friends, let us look at what the Prophet Isaiah says to us in our first reading this morning: “Keep justice and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed… for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Isaiah 56:1-7. Do we place emphasis on righteousness in our churches today? Is the Church a house of prayer or a house of miracle-display?

The truth must be spoken. We Christians today do not worship God, rather we worship magicians who take advantage of our poverty and failing socio-economic conditions to defraud us further in the promise of receiving breakthrough from God; magicians who are more interested in the size of our tithes and offerings than in whether we live righteously or keep God’s commandments; magicians who glorify themselves in the name of doing God’s work.

Nigeria as a country is faced with a lot of problems today, but I tell you one thing. If only all Christians in this country will just agree to just stop telling lies and stop stealing only, Nigeria would be transformed within the twinkle of an eye.

Finally, do you really seek a miracle from God? Stop running from church to church. Stop visiting prophets and healers. Do what Isaiah says in Today’s first reading, “keep justice and do righteousness.” Live a holy and sinless life and like the woman in our Gospel passage, ask God for your needs in humility and be willing to wait patiently till God answers in his own time.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to pray better and to live only for you. Amen

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Bible Study Isaiah 56:1,6-7, Romans 11:13-32 and Matthew 15: 21-28).