Tuesday, 23 December 2014

20140716 THE PRAYER OF A HOLY PERSON WORKS WONDERS

20140716 THE PRAYER OF A HOLY PERSON WORKS WONDERS  

Daily Reading for Wednesday, July 16th, 2014

1Kings 18 : 42-45

While Ahab went back to eat and drink, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and bowed down to the ground, putting his face between his knees.
43 'Now go up', he told his servant, 'and look out to sea.' He went up and looked. 'There is nothing at all,' he said. Seven times Elijah told him to go back.
44 The seventh time, the servant said, 'Now there is a cloud, small as a man's hand, rising from the sea.' Elijah said, 'Go and say to Ahab, "Harness the chariot and go down before the rain stops you." '
45 And with that the sky grew dark with cloud and storm, and rain fell in torrents. Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel.
Galatians 4 : 4-7
4 but when the completion of the time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law,
5 to redeem the subjects of the Law, so that we could receive adoption as sons.
6 As you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son crying, 'Abba, Father';
7 and so you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir, by God's own act.

Gospel, JOHN 19:25-27
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.
26 Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son.'
27 Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home..

Scripture Reflection

THE PRAYER OF A HOLY PERSON WORKS WONDERS  
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 KINGS 18:42B-45A; GALATIANS 4:4-7; JOHN 19:25-27
Elijah is the greatest prophet after Moses.   He was not just a prophet but he worked miracles as well through the power of God.  His prayers were always heard.  Miracles happened at his command.   This is seen in today’s miracle of the rain after he brought the drought to Israel to awaken the leaders as to who is the Lord, Baal or Yahweh.  And then when he was hungry, he multiplied the food for the poor widow who accommodated him and gave him food.
Where did he get his power from?  It was his faith.  St James speaks of him as a holy man who works wonders.  “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (James 5:17f)  He had faith in God’s promises.
Furthermore, he was intent on bringing sinners back to God.  He was deeply committed to the Lord and sought to clean Israel from the idolatry and evil that king Ahab brought into Israel. He fought with the false prophets.  He was not afraid to confront King Ahab and Jezebel the evil queen.  Again, St James wrote, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)  Because of his sincerity in bringing sinners back to God, he was given the power to perform the mighty deeds of God.
His power comes not just from his faith in God but because he was a righteous man.  St James wrote, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:15f)  This is what the psalmist says as well.  “Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent and dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue; he who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbor.”   Such was the holiness of Elijah; one who was faithful to God and His commandments.
Finally, he was above all a man of prayer.  If he were a great prophet, it was because he was always in communion with God.   Indeed, he was always alert to the voice of God and was always doing His will.  Only when one is in communion with God in prayer, can he find faith and strength to do God’s will and trust in His promises.
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel, we cannot but see the similarities between her and Elijah.  Mary certainly was a woman of great faith in our Lord.  She put her total trust in the Lord, as seen at the Wedding in Cana and when she stood by Jesus throughout His ministry, even when He was grossly misunderstood and rejected by her relatives.   She held on to the love of God even when she had to witness the cruel torture and execution of her Son.  She was devoted to her son’s mission until death and was faithful to Him at the cross when all abandoned Him.   Only she could give Jesus complete confidence, for she knew her Son better than anyone else.  Elizabeth praised Mary’s faith and so did the angel.  “Blessed is she who believed that what was said would be fulfilled.”
She was also a woman of holiness and purity.  The psalm applies to her completely.  She lived a life of holiness, purity and surrender to the will of God.  She heard the word of God and did His will, as the acclamation tells us.
Above all, she was a woman of prayer, constantly contemplating on the Word of God and His actions.  Without fail, she pondered on the Word of God and the events in her life, whether at the birth of Jesus, at the Presentation, or at the foot of the cross.  Mary was always deep in contemplation.   She knew that her Son would answer her prayers and had total confidence in His love and mercy.
We too are called to imitate her, especially in these three aspects of faith, holiness and prayer.   We are called to bring her into our home and make a place for her as St John did.  “Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother’. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.” Jesus gave her to us.  “Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son’.”
Since we are His adopted brothers and sisters, let us also receive Mary as our mother.  This is what St Paul wrote, “When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.”  If we are truly His sons and daughters, then we must live the life of Christ in imitation of Mary, the perfect disciple of the Lord.   “The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave anymore; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.”
So as we celebrate this feast, let us join Mary in her strive to be in union with the Father, just as Jesus did.  We need to have faith in His divine providence.  In prayer and contemplation, let us surrender our lives to the Lord, believing that He will be faithful to those who love Him and do His will.   Indeed, to say that Mary is our Queen means that we become her children by doing God’s will at all times.  For she commands us, “Do whatever He tells you.”  In this way, we will share the fruits of the Spirit and find peace and security in life.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH

ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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