Good Timing

A Reflection on the First Reading for October 6th, 2019:
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Habakkuk 1.2-3; 2.2-4

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrongdoing
and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.”

Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud person!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous person lives by their faith.”

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Don’t we sometimes complain like this to the Lord? Our petitions have gone unanswered and we feel that He has forgotten us or has ignored our prayers. We are in near despair and at our wits’ end on what to do in a difficult situation.

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The second part of this reading however, is so encouraging. The Lord does answer prayers — but in His own time and in His own way. Did the Lord really abandon us during our times of greatest need? Let us examine our present situations. We are still enjoying the benefits of living a good life — in the company of our loved ones. We still make do even if we have real challenges.  For those of us who feel the loneliness of an empty nest, we somehow have hope and are able to get by. For those of us who are sick and have prayed for healing — the healing has not happened yet but we are ever so hopeful that it will come someday. "If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay." God Himself told us that when He instructed the prophet Habakkuk to write down the vision clearly so that it can be read by anyone readily, to be assured and to be reminded that one has to be patient and to believe — to have faith. When my faith wavers and when my patience wanes, this reading lifts me up and reminds me that my God loves me and will never abandon me.


When we first came to Canada, two of our independent children were left behind. The first one was able to follow us in 6 months, however, the second one, who was close to and valued family, could not come right away. He required work experience that was needed in Canada. He had to shift careers; he resigned from a job that he loved and had to do work that would give him experience to procure a job offer from Canada.


The years that it took us to get him here were stressful to say the least. I could not imagine a life here without him. Prayers were unceasing and yet there were times when we would feel so hopeless. After all the papers were done, we had to wait for almost a year before the Canadian Embassy would issue him a permanent resident visa. Needless to say, by the time he got here, the job for him was no longer available. God answered our prayers, but it took 3 years… a long and anxious time. Looking back now, and with the increased faith that I have today, we should not have been so worried. God delivered and at a perfect time! My son learned valuable lessons in prayer and supplication, he learned independence, and he learned determination and focus in achieving his goals. For us here, we learned to trust in the Lord that things will work out. To Him be all the glory!


​Liz Venezuela

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