“Your prayer has been heard,” the angel Gabriel told Zechariah. The elderly priest and his wife would be blessed with their first child, who would lead many of the Israelites to God, and they would name the child John, which means “God is gracious.” When Zechariah questioned this, he was left mute until John’s birth, when the community challenged Elizabeth’s choice of a name, and Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the boy would be named John.
“Why do we doubt the promise of God?” Father Anselm Malonda of Missionhurst Missionaries asked us in his homily this morning at Simbang Gabi. “Maybe because there’s so much dark stuff in the world. People doing bad things to each other. We put our own needs first and ignore the suffering of others.”
I can relate to Zechariah. I’ve got some good things percolating in my writing life, and yet I wonder whether I’m being obedient, whether I’m doing what God wants. In fact, I wonder so much that I bent my pastor’s ear about it for a while on Saturday.
During Father Malonda’s homily, I was reminded of my takeaway from this year’s annual “Jesus Christ Superstar” viewing. There Judas is, decked out in finery, swinging from a star, surrounded by beautiful people and in beautiful voice. What happens when he sees Jesus? He asks questions and sings “I only want to know” instead of recognizing what he does know… and offering praise and thanks.
Today’s homily was a good reminder that maybe God has already graciously heard my prayers… and I’m just not listening to the answer.
