💖 HOMILY - JANUARY 13 💖

First Reading - 1 Samuel 1:9-20

Gospel - Mark 1:21-28

There are moments when life presses so heavily on the heart that words fail. We may be surrounded by people, duties, and religious activity, yet carry a silent ache that no one fully understands. Today’s readings reveal a God who listens to unspoken prayer and whose word carries a power deeper than noise, argument, or display.

The First Reading from 1 Samuel brings us back to Hannah, now seen at her most vulnerable. Her prayer is not polished or loud. It is silent, tearful, and misunderstood. Even the priest mistakes her anguish for drunkenness. This moment captures a painful truth: sincere prayer is not always recognized by others. But it is always seen by God. Hannah pours out her soul without demanding signs or guarantees. She entrusts her deepest desire to God and leaves the temple changed. The situation has not yet changed, but her heart has. Peace replaces bitterness because she has placed her burden where it belongs.

The Gospel from Mark shows a very different scene, yet the same divine authority at work. Jesus enters the synagogue and teaches with an authority that astonishes. His words are not empty or theoretical. They carry life and power. When confronted by an unclean spirit, Jesus does not argue or perform rituals. He speaks, and the spirit obeys. His authority is quiet, direct, and unmistakable.

Dear friends, what connects these two readings is the movement from inner turmoil to restoring peace. Hannah’s prayer is heard in silence. The possessed man is freed through a word. In both cases, God’s authority does not rely on spectacle. It works at the deepest level of the human person, where pain and bondage reside.

Many people carry struggles that are invisible to others: anxiety, grief, temptation, discouragement, or fear. We may even feel misunderstood or judged when we try to express them. Today’s readings assure us that God is not confused by our silence or overwhelmed by our chaos. God listens to the heart and speaks with a power that heals.

They also challenge us to reflect on how we listen and speak. Do we make room for honest prayer, or only for polished words? Do we trust God’s word to have authority in our lives, or do we rely only on our own strategies and strength?

The invitation today is to bring what is deepest and most painful into God’s presence, without fear of being misunderstood. Like Hannah, pour out your heart and trust that God hears. Like the man in the synagogue, allow Christ’s word to confront what binds you, even when it is uncomfortable.

When we entrust our inner struggles to God and allow Christ’s voice to take root within us, peace begins to return. Authority becomes healing. Silence becomes prayer. And God’s word, spoken with love, restores us from the inside out.