Monday, January 11, 2016

Homily for 12 Jan 2016

12 Jan 2016

It has all the makings of a good movie: a desperate woman at her wits’ end, pleading for help from the mysterious unseen world of spirits; and a man caught in the middle of this world and the invisible world of demons.  Of course, we don’t have to wait to see this unfold in a movie; the drama is right here in Scripture, and it’s in our lives, too:

Maybe somebody in the family is going through some tough times.  Maybe it’s a physical or mental illness.  Maybe there’s a financial strain.  Maybe there’s an addiction somebody’s dealing with.  And what do we but turn for help from that “other world;” the realm of the angels and the saints, and God. 

We see how Hannah prayed.  She invited the unseen and mysterious life of God into her life.  And, even though others thought she was drunk and even crazy for her belief, she kept up her prayers.  And her prayers were answered; the divine life of God mingled with her human life and she gave birth to her son, Samuel. 

Of course, the invisible world of angels and demons can also impact us negatively, as we see in the man possessed by an “unclean spirit.”  But, there again, help came also from that invisible world, through the mysterious and more powerful working of God through Christ.

If we only got one thing out of the Christmas season, it’s the reminder that there is an unseen world: after all, the invisible Word of God became visible flesh.  And in that invisible world of angels and saints and God and divinity, we have a tremendous help in our life here on earth.  Why leave it untapped?   Prayer matters.  Faith and belief matter.  They do make a difference.  

No comments:

Post a Comment