Prayer: Fixing our Gaze on God

Homily: Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 10:26-33

June 21, 2020

I miss our public masses so much! Through my years as a priest I know that people come to mass to thank God for blessings received, and to lay their concerns at the feet of our Lord. When I heard the IATF had relaxed the restrictions, my joy was short lived. The guidelines read: “While adhering to the prescribed minimum health standards, religious gatherings are not encouraged but, in any case, should be not more than ten (10) persons,”. My heart sank. Together with the faithful I asked, why only ten? I found an answer in a post by a Filipino friend in the UK. It said: “This coronavirus is the strangest virus I’ve heard of. It’s very dangerous the way it spreads. It is so smart. It won’t bother the first ten (10) people but it knows when the 11th person shows up. So be careful if that’s you. Whoever heard of such a smart sneaky virus!?!” Ridiculous, isn’t it? If I’m not mistaken, other establishments not yet open are gyms, movie theatres and spas… The church was deemed a “non-essential” together with places of entertainment and recreation! In fact, health experts have assigned a risk level 8 to church activities for possibility of contracting the virus. The level is even higher than movie theatres that scored a 6 and ‘Eating outside in a restaurant’ rated at 4. Government campaigns emphasize proper hygiene and boosting one’s immune system to keep the populace Covid-free… But isn’t it necessary to also boost one’s spiritual immune system at a time like this?

There is a 9-year-old boy in Cebu infected by the virus. He was the only one in his family to have tested positive to the virus so he was taken to live by himself in an isolation centre with one hundred other patients. Can you imagine the fear of a child who is taken from his family and forced to live with strangers? It wouldn’t be unusual for children to become withdrawn. But this boy is different. He eats quietly on his cot, bathes himself, plays by himself and obeys the older patients who help him with his medications and steam inhalation. What’s his secret? Every night his cousin calls him and they pray together and sing hymns to the Lord! His voice is nowhere near TNT levels but he sings loudly and in earnest, with tears in his eyes, praising God for His goodness and asking the Lord for healing. The faith of this small child is what strengthens his parents who worry endlessly for him. His parents relate how their son, despite their own lukewarmness to their church, has always been prayerful and filled with faith. Now his mother unceasingly prays to God to spare his life, in light of their other family tragedies such as the burning down of their house and the death of the boy’s older sister. His grandfather also claims that the boy’s prayers have helped him to kick his gambling, alcohol and drug addictions. The other patients in the centre were also inspired to pray and trust in God more. With this revitalization of faith, they began to look beyond their own affliction and help the weaker ones among them… like the little boy! Together they look forward to recovering and returning to their loved ones.

In our readings this Sunday, we hear the cries of those who find themselves in great agony and distress. Alone and attacked on every side, Jeremiah complains to God about his miserable state. “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him’” (Jeremiah 20:10). Similarly, the psalmist also laments his sad predicament – “I have become an outcast to my brethren and a stranger to my children.” (Psalm 69:8) Does this not remind you of Jesus— who in his utter helplessness cries out in agony and desperation from the cross: “My God, my God why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46) Many are not comfortable with these kinds of prayer in Scriptures because they find them disrespectful to God. However, it is these prayers that allow us to put to words how we feel and acknowledge before God our anxieties, fears, and longings. Remember that God’s mercy is independent of our worthiness so there is nothing wrong with baring our frustrated hearts to God even when we feel unsure whether He will come to our aid. This manner of conversing with God can only be borne of a deep relationship with a God whom we can count on as our Abba, Father. Jesus has changed our understanding of God from the distant omnipotent being of the Old Testament into a Father that knows us individually and cares deeply for us as His children. No matter the state we are in, we simply have to trust and keep the conversation going. 

Difficult as it may be, we have to trust that God hears and He will deliver His children from their suffering. Jeremiah, in today’s reading is confident of God’s deliverance and protection despite his misery. He expresses this firm confidence in the “Lord of Hosts”, “the triumphant, mighty Warrior-God” who is with him in a prayer-song: “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” (Jeremiah 20:13) The prophet calls on lowly ones to be glad for their vindication is at hand. We can also take inspiration from today’s psalm which is a prayer of lament. “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the Lord hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” (Psalm 69:32-33)

The disciples were no different. The burdens and uncertainties of life must have been weighing on them, so Jesus allays their fears, telling them — three (3) times in this short passage — not to be afraid because they are precious to God. If God cares for the sparrows, how much more is He concerned with his faithful ones? If God knows us so well that every strand of our hair has been numbered, how much more is He aware of our every need before we can even ask for them? From the very lips of Jesus, we are assured that we need not be afraid because we are valuable in the sight of God. St. Paul declares God’s providential care to the Christian community in Rome by telling them God has sent the most marvellous gift of all in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. “For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.” (Romans 5:5) Time and again, in the Bible and in our personal experiences, God has proven faithful so there is no reason for us to lose heart in the face of adversity.

A friend of mine told me yesterday that she was getting “sooooo tired of this pandemic”. I get that. There are just so many things today that cause us anxiety and fear in terms of health, finances, job security, failed business and death. On top of that we are deluged daily by local and international news stories that evoke alarm and worry with the continued rise in Covid cases and casualties. All this negativity is bound to make anyone’s head spin. What can we do? We grab on to something sturdy and steady ourselves, lest we collapse to the ground. Turn to the Lord! There is none more steadfast. In the face of this colossal world crisis, we should not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by our fears. Now, more than ever, fix your gaze on our God, and hold on to Him tightly. He is our deliverer and refuge in this time of need.

Pope Francis teaches us… “In our daily journey, especially in difficulties, in the fight against evil outside of ourselves and within us, the Lord is not far away, He is at our side; we fight with Him beside us, and our weapon is prayer, which makes us feel His presence alongside of us, His mercy, even His help.” I hope that very soon, we will be blessed with the opportunity to worship together again. God willing.