Homily- Wednesday of the 15th
Week in Ordinary Time, Yr B, / Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor
of the Church, Fr. Udoekpo, Michael
v Isaiah
10:5-7, 13b-16;
v Ps 94:5-6,7-10,14-15
v Matt
11:25-27
The Mystery of God’s Love
for Us- He Will Never Abandon Us!
Today we celebrate the
memorial of St. Bonaventure (1221-1274), Bishop, and Doctor of the Church and a
contemporary of St. Thomas Aquinas, with a particular focus on mystical
theology during the middle Ages.
Talking about mystery, that
which is beyond human industry, or understanding, today’s scripture builds on
what we read yesterday and stresses the mystery of God’s love for each of us, no matter
what, no matter his seeming hiddenness, no matter this pandemic of covid-19.
Yesterday, as King Ahaz and
his subject in Judah were afraid of Assyria and other enemies, God sent the
Prophet Isaiah (7:1-9) and his son with a symbolic/theological name-Shear-jasubh(
the remnant, the faithful, the humble, the innocent) shall return from exile,
to assure the Judeans of his everlasting love, for them, provided they kept the
faith.
Today, in Isaiah 10, the
first reading, God speaks again to the people through the prophet Isaiah, and
that he, God, acts in very mysterious and providential way. That, Assyria, who
threatened Israel, was rather, been used by God as his rod, axe and staff against
the unfaithful people and nations. That is why the prophet rhetorically ask
Israel “will the axe boast against him who hews with it? Will the saw exalt itself
above him who wields it? In all these, the answer is no!
You see often in our lives
God acts in a very hidden and mysterious ways.
So was the case in the life of Job and of the prophet Habakkuk, where
God uses the Chaldean to teach Israel a lesson- that though exiled from their
land, if they repent, God will bring them, the shear, the remnant, the
prayerful, the child-like, the meek, the believers, back to the land. That God
will never abandon them- the mystery of his love; God can write on a curved and
crooked lines of our lives!
It is this mystery and hiddenness
of God’s love for us that is spoken of in today’s Gospel, where Christ prays, “Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the
wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike…. For no one knows
the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and
anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
These readings challenge us
today, under this present circumstance of corona virus pandemic to faithfully
rethink the presence of God in our lives. He will never abandon us. You never
know it could be through this difficulty of covid-19, humanity will learn to be
more dependent on God and on one another. Only God knows best. It may also
give corrupt politicians all over the world an opportunity to rethink how best
to provide preemptively, health care services and facilities to their people,
as well as clean drinking water, electricity, security, good roads and safety,
sanitized environment worthy of human habitations! God has a way of drawing us
back to himself—the mystery of God’s love. Nobody knows better, except God. He
knows how to inspire the scientists to a new discovery, as well. Let us
continue to trust in him, he will never abandon us (Ps 94:14a).
Reflection Questions;
1.
In times of
difficulties do we keep trusting in the Lord?
2.
How do handle the mysteries
of our faith?
3.
When last did we
assist members of our faith communities to trust in the seeming hiddenness of
God in their lives?
