Category: Uncategorized

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Genesis 32: 22-33

In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives,
with the two maidservants and his eleven children,
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
After he had taken them across the stream
and had brought over all his possessions,
Jacob was left there alone.
Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.
When the man saw that he could not prevail over him,
he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket,
so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled.
The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”
The man asked, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Jacob.”
Then the man said,
“You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel,
because you have contended with divine and human beings
and have prevailed.”
Jacob then asked him, “Do tell me your name, please.”
He answered, “Why should you want to know my name?”
With that, he bade him farewell.
Jacob named the place Peniel,
“Because I have seen God face to face,” he said,
“yet my life has been spared.”

At sunrise, as he left Penuel,
Jacob limped along because of his hip.
That is why, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat
the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket,
inasmuch as Jacob’s hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle.

The Word of the Lord.

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Most of our prayers to God involve calming things down.

We pray for peace in our world and peace in our hearts.

Healing from pain and suffering.

Forgiveness from red-hot wrath.

All of these things are fair; we should pray for them.

But if we reserve the right to ask God to intervene in our lives, then God reserves the right to respond as he pleases. As we discover throughout the bible, sometimes God works in mysterious ways.

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In our first reading, Jacob is headed home after twenty years of being separated from his brother, Esau. Jacob lied, cheated, and stole from his brother. But now he’s praying for reconciliation.

The night before these two brothers meet, God appears to Jacob in mysterious form, wrestling with him until the dawn. 

Jacob refuses to let go of this divine figure until he receives the Lord’s blessing – and, by extension, the promise of reconciliation with Esau.

God grants it, but not before Jacob’s hip is broken. 

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While Jacob will walk with a painful limp for the rest of his life, his injury will serve as a constant reminder of his change of heart, as well his need to lean upon God, as opposed to his own strength or understanding.

As it’s written in the Book of Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to God and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6). 

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People of faith pray for peace, healing, and reconciliation – and rightly so. But Jacob reminds us that God may answer our prayers in the most unexpected of ways.

Perhaps this becomes one thing to add to our prayer list: accepting God, and his intervention in our lives, however he sees fit.  

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Image credits: (1) Christian Learning, Shutterstock (2) And Jacob Wrestled, Medium (3) ‘As I see Fit’ Archives

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Gospel: Matthew 9: 18-26

While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
“”My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.””
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, “”If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.””
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
“”Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.””
And from that hour the woman was cured.

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, “”Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.””
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land.

The Gospel of the Lord

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Matthew describes two cases of healing: a twelve-year-old girl on the brink of death, and a woman who’s been hemorrhaging for the last twelve years.

Together, they represent all of humanity. The girl represents all children who suffer, along with the pain and helplessness of their parents. The older woman represents all who are aging, whose bodies have grown weak under the burden of years.

In each case, if the sick person is to be healed, then the Law must be broken.

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According to Jewish Law, if a person touched a corpse – certainly that of a non-family member – then that person was rendered ritually impure, impeding their access to God. When Jesus touches the child’s hand, he becomes impure, but she is healed. 

Similarly, the older woman was ritually impure because of her flow of blood. In touching Jesus, she renders him impure again, but she is also healed from her infirmity.

The irony is stunning.

In both cases, following the Law cements a person’s fate in death. But breaking it in faith leads to life.

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What type of legalism might still exist in the Church today? Are there “laws” that prevent people from making contact with Christ in faith?

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If we follow the example of today’s Gospel, then what matters most is not being “perfect,”but having faith in the Son of God, “who has loved us and given himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2).

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Image credits: (1) Deep Waters Tabernacle (2) Good News Unlimited (3) R & E Journaling, Amazon

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Gospel: Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and  scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A young girl was walking with her father along a beach the morning after a terrible storm blew through, leaving thousands of starfish strewn across the sand.

Suddenly, the girl let go of her father’s hand, walked to the water’s edge and began tossing the starfish back into the sea, one by one.

After several minutes, the father walked over to her and said, “Okay, sweetie, it’s time to go home.”

“But Dad,” she said, “all of these starfish will die if we leave them here in the sun!”

“You can’t save them all,” he said. “Saving a few more won’t make much of a difference.”

The girl, looking disheartened, stood still for a moment, staring down at the sand. Then she bent over, picked up one more starfish and tossed it back into the sea.

“Well, Dad,” she said, “for that one I just made ALL the difference!”

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In today’s Gospel, the Lord sends out seventy-two of his disciples to preach, to heal, and to cast out demons. It’s a tall task, which the Lord seems to make even more challenging as he instructs them:

“Carry no money bag, no sack, and no sandals.”

One would think Jesus would be eager to set his disciples up for success. So, why would he send them out barefoot and penniless?

Jesus is building upon a Jewish tradition, which the disciples would’ve understood. 

In ancient Israel, it was customary for a person to part with all of their possessions – everything from their money bag to their shoes – prior to entering the Temple to pray.

Physically and spiritually, pilgrims were compelled to leave their worldly possessions and concerns at the door before addressing God, who always comes first. After leaving the Temple, a person would reclaim their belongings, returning to the world.

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By instructing his disciples to part with their money bag, sack, and sandals, Jesus is teaching his disciples to regard the entire world as the Temple.

And so, the 72 are sent out on mission. Every soul they encounter is fertile ground, a potential dwelling place for God. While in ministry, they will experience firsthand the truth of Christ’s words: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.”

This word, “harvest,” implies the crop is ready; it’s time to act. If the disciples wait until they feel ready, or until they have every question answered, then some of the crop – some souls – will be lost. 

They must act now. They must do something. Anything. The harvest awaits!

When the 72 return, they rejoice having discovered, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” They begin to understand they are Christ’s presence in the world. 

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God yearns for us to feel that same sense of urgency today. Every soul is a potential dwelling place for God; the harvest is abundant. And we, the ones already gifted with faith, are the laborers.

As Saint Catherine of Siena once wrote, “Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he sees, the hands with which he blesses. Christ has no body now but yours.”

This begs the question: “What role are we playing in reaping the harvest?”

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Perhaps more than we might imagine. Allow me to offer a few examples from within our parish.

I think of some of our high school students who decided to give back, voluntarily offering four days of their summer to serve as aides and role models in our faith formation program this week. 

I think of those who bring Communion to our brothers and sisters at Sunrise Assisted Living every Sunday. 

I think of an elderly woman who attends daily Mass once a week. She brings the bulletin back for other residents in her complex who are homebound – and with the bulletin, a visit. 

I think of the volunteers who’ve stepped forward to dig into parish-wide strategic plan, not only addressing the needs of our youth, but “all generations.”

I think of the two-hundred other volunteers who contribute in some way to the life and liturgy of our parish. 

Together, we are reaping the harvest, each in our own way. 

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Think of that little girl standing on the shore with her father. Picking up a single starfish, she tossed it back into the sea and said:

“Dad, for that one I just made ALL the difference.”

As we adopt this attitude, the harvest becomes increasingly manageable.

Together, we can make a difference – not for one, but for all.

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Image credits: (1) Vacation on Marco (2) Art Station (3) StockCake