Homily of Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Ref: Isa 49:8-15; Jhn 5:17-30
By: Fr Felix Olatunji Yayi, C.S.Sp.
A young boy, barely ten years old, once told his father that his friends drove cars to school and that he, too, wanted to do the same. His father gently asked him to be patient that such a time would come when he was mature enough. The boy felt hurt and misunderstood, thinking his father did not care. But not long after, news came that one of those friends had crashed his car and suffered severe injuries due to recklessness. It was then the father reminded him: there are times and seasons for everything.
This simple story echoes a profound spiritual truth.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah assures us that at the favorable time, the Lord will answer. God’s timing is never accidental; it is always purposeful. Life unfolds in seasons there is a time to grow, a time to wait, a time to receive. Yet one honest question confronts us: are we patient enough to wait?
We live in a world that demands immediacy “sharp sharp.” We want quick answers, instant results, immediate breakthroughs. But many of us struggle to remain in the place of prayer. We desire the harvest, yet we resist the process.
In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to believe to trust even when we do not fully understand. To believe that even if a mother could forget her child, God will never forget us. His love is constant, His timing intentional.
Consider the hen: it does not sit on its eggs only until it becomes tired, but until they hatch. In the same way, we are called to remain in prayer not until we are weary, but until God’s purpose is fulfilled. True faith perseveres.
Sometimes, what we ask for is not denied but delayed. Not because God is unwilling, but because He is preparing us. There are graces we seek that require a deeper maturity to receive and sustain. And so, in love, God forms us before He blesses us.
Today, let us pray for the grace to wait.
The grace to trust.
The grace to remain steadfast in prayer not with impatience, but with purpose.
For in God’s time, all things are made beautiful.
Peace.
