HOW LONG WILL I CRY FOR HELP? Homily by Fr Karabo Baloyi, Catholic Church, 27th SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME

HOW LONG WILL I CRY FOR HELP??? (Fr Karabo Baloyi) (27th SUNDAY – ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C) Some of the songs sung during apartheid, had these words: “Kuyoze kubenini?” For how long will things be like this? For how long should we wait until something is done? Until when? This is desperate cry of desperation? When people are in difficult situations and share their frustrations and helplessness with someone, the person listening often responds, “It will be okay. It shall be well.” When the person sharing has suffered so much or repeatedly, the person responds angrily, “When???” When will things fall into place, if they will at all?” This is the cry of the prophet Habakkuk, a very courageous cry. He complains to God, “How long am I to cry for help while you will not listen? How long am I to cry ‘oppression’ and you will not save? Why do you set injustice from me? Why do you look on where there is tyranny? All I see is outrage, violence, contention and discord flourishes.” Why? Why? Why? An endless list of why’s? The prophet is confused, frustrated, angry and desperate at the seeming absence of God. He is frustrated by the silence of God. He cries out for help but God does not listen and does not even respond. Do you identify with these cries and questions of Habakkuk? I don’t know about you but I know that I do. One of the things, which cause me a lot of pain and frustration is that the rich and powerful seem to get away with anything while the poor and weak suffer at their hands. The prophet experiences the silence of God. There is a time in life when one experiences the silence of God, when God seems to be far away, when God seems not to care but seems to tolerate evil. God is silent! You look for a word of comfort and hope but he is silent. You ask for help and deliverance but there is no response except silence – a deafening silence. In the midst of this frustration and silence, God responds. God tells Habakkuk to write down the vision to be read. He is to inscribe it so that it may not be lost. However, the vision is not a quick fix solution. It has its own time. When it will unfold. It does not deceive. It comes slowly but the prophet must, “wait” for its own fulfillment because it will come without fail. God’s response is not a miraculous deliverance but a call for patience, waiting and expectation. It is not known when will the vision be fulfilled and God does not disclose when but calls for patience and expectant waiting. The silence of God and the waiting period can be very frustrating and challenging. Those who are not just they flag and fall due to waiting, they give up on God and end up solving the issues/situation themselves. The justification for this is that God helps those who help themselves. If God does not help them, especially not in his time but in their time, they help themselves or resort to other means and people for help except God. “Waiting is a game of delay”, for them. They rather do something themselves than wait on God. The just on the other hand, live by their faithfulness. They remain faithful to God in the midst of the frustration and silence. They know that God may be silent but not sleeping. It is in that silence that God is working, doing something special and preparing good things for those who wait on him. They remain faithful to the vision God has given them, knowing that it will come to fulfillment because God remains faithful to his promises. What do you do when you experience the silence of God? Do you join the unfaithful and the unjust and become unfaithful and unjust like them? Rather, do you remain faithful like the just who live by their faithfulness? The time of the silence of God is a time to believe and hold on to the vision of God, God’s word and promise. This vision will see us through the silence and waiting period. The temptation during the waiting period is to give up and join the unjust like them. We may even use the saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them”, as our justification. Wait on the Lord for he will surely come to deliver you. He is faithful! (03.10.2010) Background Music ( Lilo Tsa Ka - Ntsako Motiang) #catholicchurch #catholicfaith #catholichomily #catholicreflection