Fr Ed Homily 11-25-20

To Prepare or Not to Prepare

Do you ever get confused reading the Bible? For several weeks we have been told to be watchful, be prepared, and get ready. Now today we are told not to prepare. So, what is it? Do we get ready or not? If you are an organized person you probably are on time all the time. Would I even guess you get there ten minutes early just to get the feel of the room? It is important to know where you are going to be seated, who is attending, and whatever else is necessary. If you are not an organized individual you will show up to a meeting when you get there, squeeze in between two people who got there early to have some space, and nothing else is more important than you got there. Either case, from experience, I would know both people are prepared to the best they can. And if you were headed to a court case where you had to defend yourself you would make sure you know all the facts. There is a sense of priority advising you to come prepared.

Not the case today. We are told not to prepare. Because God will give you a wisdom from which to draw upon. But what am I to say? It is hard to trust God in this situation. We want to rely upon ourselves and our resources. But the wisdom God plans to give you far exceeds your personal wisdom you were intending to rely upon.

When put into a position of defending or sharing your faith you must trust God. But I have been there before and really bumbled my way through a response, I was not convincing, I did not know what to say, and I probably made the matter worse. Nonsense! We are to remember that God is in control. We must trust that He is in control. So, believe it or not, what you said, even if it sounded like total babble to you was just exactly what God wanted you to say. Really! Two reasons. The person you were speaking to needed to hear you being honest and struggling with an answer. They did not need a prepared response but an honest response. Second, you needed to hear yourself so you would know what to do better next time around. As there are always next times.

As we spend time in relationship with Christ we will naturally grow in faith. This is what prepares us to respond in an authentic manner when witnessing to our faith. We can grow in faith and trust in God to grant us the wisdom of when and how to respond.

May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.