#barrenness

1 Sam 1:1-8; Ps 115; Mk 1:14-20

“The time has come”, says the Lord in today’s Gospel. What time is this? Time for what? For the first time in this new Liturgical year that began on Advent Sunday, we see the return of green vestments. This tells us that we are now in that period called ‘Ordinary Time’. But it’s not called ‘ordinary’ because its dull and boring and routine compared to the exciting times of Christmastide. Rather, it’s called ‘ordinary’ because it refers to the normative, to the sort of things that we should be doing everyday as Christians. And what should we be doing? The colour green gives us a clue. Green is the colour of new life, or vitality, or growth. In the Eastern Churches, green is the colour of the Holy Spirit, not red, because the Holy Spirit, is “the Giver of Life”, as we say in the Creed. 

Therefore, the green of Ordinary Time reminds us that time has come, indeed, it offered to us today and everyday, when the Holy Spirit is given to us to give us a more profound living of the Christian life. Everyday throughout the year, we Christians are called by grace to live each day in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to be led by the Holy Spirit to grow, to mature, to develop in God’s grace, in a deeper friendship with Jesus Christ, and whatever opportunities and time that God gives us in which to repent and grow as Christians are a gift of his mercy. 

Hence the Gospel today has that simple invitation from the Lord: “Follow me.” If we follow the Lord, then we shall be led to green pastures, and into new life. We will not always go where we want to go; sometimes rogue growths will need to be pruned back. However, if we follow the Lord, and trust in his ways, he will lead us through the Cross to Eternal Life. This was the experience of St Peter and St Andrew who were the first to follow Jesus, but their lives were also extremely fruitful, by the grace of God. The fact that you and I are sitting here today, worlds away from the Sea of Galilee, shows you that God caused the preaching of these two apostles to flourish and bear fruit in a way that they could never have imagined. So it is for you and me if we remain faithful to God and follow Jesus. 

And the story of Hannah also points to this. We’re told several times that the Lord God had made her barren. Sometimes it will seem like our prayers are unheard or unanswered by God, or it will seem that sad and confusingly bad things are happening in our lives. The Lord allows these things to happen, and we might wonder why. But land has to be left barren sometimes for it to become fertile and fruitful again. So too for us to mature in faith and to grow and become fruitful, sometimes the Lord has to allow a certain barrenness in our lives. But if we follow the example of Hannah (as we’ll hear tomorrow) and we remain hopeful in prayer, and continue to turn to God and follow him, then the Lord will bless us. He promises to give us new vision, new strength, and indeed, new life. 

For as the Lord Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “The kingdom of God is close at hand”. Indeed, as we approach the Eucharist today, behold he is here for us now. God is with us, throughout this Ordinary Time, and he gives us his own Body and Blood to nourish us and give us growth and increase. All we have to do to receive him worthily and well, and to invite the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts today, causing us to repent, and thus to become more like the One we’re following. 

May you never experience barrenness – Ibidun Ighodalo talks on her ordeal

Former beauty queen and wife of the General Overseer of the Trinity House Ministries International, Ibidun Ighodalo, opened up about her ordeal while she was trying to have a child. This she did while receiving a recognition award which was handed over to her by the wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo at the Convention Centre of […]

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