Have you prayed hard for something but the Lord didn’t answer your prayer?

My wife and I are both freelancers. Normally, we will get clients and sign them up for a one-year contract. That’s why our prayer every December is that the Lord will renew all our accounts or give us new ones as replacements.

There was one proposal for a client that we prayed hard for because the initial contract was for three years and the pay was big. But after many prayers, we didn’t get the account.

Didn’t God hear our prayers? Oftentimes, we feel like He doesn’t listen to us when we don’t get what we want. But as I reflect on God’s goodness and wisdom, I realize that He has blessed us with many things we didn’t even pray for. 

Are we ready to trust God and His wisdom? That He knows what is best for us at any given situation? 

Believe, trust, and surrender to God’s perfect will. After all, He is never late nor advanced. His timing is always perfect. Joel N. Saludares (joelsaludares@yahoo.com)

Reflect:

What is that prayer that you are asking the Lord today? Can you trust God that He knows what is best for you?

Lord, teach me to trust in Your most perfect will for me. Amen.

Saint Darius, pray for us.

Throughout history, God has intervened in mysterious ways to bring about the salvation of His people. Samson is another example of His work. Sometimes we do not know why God does what He does. The most important thing is to obey Him and play the part He asks us to do in the drama of salvation. 

² There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. ³ An angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son. ⁴ Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. ⁵ As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines.” ⁶ The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. ⁷ But he said to me, ‘You will be with child and will bear a son. So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.’” ²⁴ The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up and the Lord blessed him; ²⁵ the Spirit of the Lord first stirred.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 71:3-4, 5-6, 16-17

R: My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory.

³ Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety; for you are my rock and my fortress. ⁴ O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked. (R) ⁵ For you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth. ⁶ On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength. (R) ¹⁶ I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord; O God, I will tell of your singular justice. ¹⁷ O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds. (R)

Gospel | Luke 1:5-25

We probably echo in our hearts Zechariah’s question. Our challenge is to move on to a deeper faith. Zechariah will express his repentance and deepened faith when he obediently names his son John. Let us not dwell on the mistakes of the past and look forward to future opportunities to obey Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation

O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay!

⁵ In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. ⁸ Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, ⁹ according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. ¹⁰ Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, ¹¹ the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. ¹² Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, ¹⁶ and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” ¹⁸ Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹ And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. ²⁰ But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” ²¹ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. ²² But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute. ²³ Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. ²⁴ After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, ²⁵ “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.” 

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 PETER 1 - 5 today.

The Gospel today is the “other” Annunciation story. In Matthew, we hear how the good news has been announced to Joseph. Here, we see some very important insights about righteousness for it is in this Gospel of Matthew that we know how Joseph stands before God and how he is seen as a just person by the people of his time.

Oftentimes, what leads man into trouble is his desire to put himself above all else. I mean, why does one “pay” his way to get what he wants when he wants it—a man doing under-the-table transactions to get the necessary papers from the government; a man bribing a traffic enforcer to avoid the hassle of going to the agency to claim the confiscated license; public officials pocketing public funds; and so many other social problems we are now facing as a nation?

Joseph’s righteousness is seen in his submission to the will of the Father. It may have posed grave difficulties for him, but that did not matter. The Scriptures say that as soon as he woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. Personal comfort can sometimes blur our eyes from seeing the will of God. But even with great discomfort and possible setbacks, Joseph faced the music because that is what the Lord desires.

There is a great need for us to become righteous not just in the eyes of men, but more so, in the eyes of God. Looking beyond the self and what satisfies the self is the path to it. Righteousness can truly do for us what it has done for Joseph—stand just in the eyes of God and of men. Fr. Sandy Enhaynes

reflection questions:

What do you think of Joseph’s reaction? Would you have done the same?

Help me to imitate Saint Joseph’s righteousness, Lord. Give me his strength of character. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ________________________________________