Weekdays of 18th Week in Ordinary Time

Monday 2^nd August

Matthew 14:13-21

⁽¹² John's disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus).

¹³ When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the crowds heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. ¹⁴ So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.' ¹⁶ Jesus replied, 'There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.' ¹⁷ But they answered, 'All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.' ¹⁸ So he said, 'Bring them here to me.' ¹⁹ He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples, who gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps left over, twelve baskets full. ²¹ Now about five thousand men had eaten, to say nothing of women and children.

Jesus is disappointed. Everywhere he meets with failure. The leaders oppose him. Nazareth rejects him. The crowds don’t understand. He leaves both his people and the crowds. His disciples claim to understand but show ‘little faith’. Herod has killed John and thinks Jesus has followed on. In this atmosphere Jesus needs to be alone. He needs time with his Father in prayer. However the crowds arrive first. They want miracles. He doesn’t teach but does have compassion. The disciples warn him it is late. Jesus tells them to give the people food. They are astounded. They don’t realise they have authority (10:1). Jesus with confidence in God looks up and shows his disciples that trust in God can cause miracles. Are we people of ‘little faith’, or do we have the confidence of Jesus to face any situation? He is with us too. How much faith do you have?

Tuesday 3^rd August

Matthew 15:1-2,10-14

¹ Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said, ² 'Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders? They eat without washing their hands.'

¹⁰ He called the people to him and said, 'Listen, and understand. ¹¹ What goes into the mouth does not make anyone unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes someone unclean.' ¹² Then the disciples came to him and said, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked when they heard what you said?' ¹³ He replied, 'Any plant my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind; and if one blind person leads another, both will fall into a pit.'

They are blind guides

The Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of breaking the traditions of the elders by not performing the ritual washing before eating. After the controversy is over Jesus speaks to the crowds. He tells us that it is not by breaking some human law that we become unclean in God’s sight, but by welcoming into our hearts evil thoughts and desires. The Pharisees take offence at Jesus’ remarks but he says to his disciples that they are blind guides leading the blind. It is easy to become blind guides. When we stray from the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels and have own rules for daily living we are blind. Jesus alone is the light of the world. Our rule of life is the Word of Jesus. That is why the Church proclaims it to us each day. Do you meditate daily on the Word of Jesus in the Gospel?

Wednesday 4^th August 2010

Matthew 15:21-28

²¹ Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.' ²³ But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.' ²⁴ He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' ²⁵ But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.' ²⁶ He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.' ²⁷ She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.' ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

The Israelites have no faith. The disciples have ‘little faith.’ This pagan woman has ‘great faith.’ She is our model. She calls Jesus “Son of David” realising he is for the people of Israel. She calls him “Lord” a title implying divine status. She prays,”Have mercy on me.” Her daughter’s pain is hers too. Jesus will say of his own, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat.” Jesus is human. Aware of the limitations of his mission he is faced with a new situation and reacts spontaneously. She doesn’t give up. She worships him recognizing he is from God and God is for all. He uses the example of dogs, no doubt from the Jewish manner of calling pagans ‘dogs’. Still worshipping him, her persistent humble plea touches his heart and opens his mind.  Humble unshakable trust in Jesus can change the world. Are you ‘the pagan woman’?

Thursday 5^th August 2010

Matthew 16:13-23

³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of man is?' ¹⁴ And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' ¹⁵ 'But you,' he said, 'who do you say I am?' ¹⁶ Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' ¹⁷ Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.' ²⁰ Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to say to anyone that he was the Christ. ²¹ From then onwards Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. ²² Then, taking him aside, Peter started to rebuke him. 'Heaven preserve you, Lord,' he said, 'this must not happen to you.' ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because you are thinking not as God thinks but as human beings do.'

The disciples had been with Jesus throughout his ministry. They had listened to his preaching. They had seen his miracles. They had witnessed the feeding of the five thousand and of the four thousand. They had experienced Jesus walking on the stormy sea and rescuing Peter from the waves. Had they understood who he was? The crowds had got him wrong but what of them? What a relief for Jesus to hear Peter speak in an inspired way. He could now begin to build the community which will carry on his mission once he is gone. Peter is hardly a ‘rock’ but Jesus will pray for him (Luke 22:32). He is no outstanding light but Jesus gives him authority. He will be there to correct and guide him. All Jesus needs is his love and obedience. He has both from Peter. Is it the same for you?

Friday 6^th August 2010

Reading for Friday of the 18^th Week of Ordinary Time.

Below the reading for the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Matthew 16:24-28

Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life? ²⁷ 'For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behaviour. ²⁸ In truth I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming with his kingdom.'

Why did God make you? He made you in order to love you, to hold you in an eternal embrace and share himself with you. He cannot do that until you say yes. God wants you at any cost, even that of the Cross. Do you want him? Our life is a response to God’s love revealed to us in a human way through Jesus. Jesus is God’s invitation to a life of love. Life consists in choosing him as he has chosen us. Anything else is to throw life away. We don’t see things clearly. We are tempted to indulge our own whims and fancies and turn from God to self. This will lead to a loss of everything for which we are created. We need self-denial. Do you see life in terms of God’s invitation to love?  Do you want Jesus at any cost?

Reading for the Transfiguration: Luke 9:28-36

Now about eight days after this had been said, he took with him Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And it happened that, as he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became sparkling white. ³⁰ And suddenly there were two men talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah ³¹ appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they woke up and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' He did not know what he was saying. ³⁴ As he was saying this, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. ³⁵ And a voice came from the cloud saying, 'This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.' ³⁶ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

On the mountain we see what happens to a man who says ‘Yes’ to God. The vocation and destiny of man is to be loved by God. This is why he was created. We must let go and allow God to love us. In prayer Jesus does this and is transfigured. Moses met God on the mountain and in the cloud and his face had shone. On the same mountain Elijah had met God in ‘sheer silence’. But now Jesus is the man who is God and the voice of God. Moses and the prophets are no longer needed. Jesus alone is necessary and he is the Word. By surrendering to God’s love we too will be transfigured and shine with the peace of God. Perfect transfiguration will come with our ‘exodus’ as we follow the true Moses into God’s Promised Land. Do you listen to Jesus day by day?

Saturday 7^{th August}

Mt 17:14-20

Gospel

¹⁴ As they were rejoining the crowd a man came up to him and went down on his knees before him. ¹⁵ 'Lord,' he said, 'take pity on my son: he is demented and in a wretched state; he is always falling into fire and into water. ¹⁶ I took him to your disciples and they were unable to cure him.' ¹⁷ In reply, Jesus said, 'Faithless and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.' ¹⁸ And when Jesus rebuked it the devil came out of the boy, who was cured from that moment. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came privately to Jesus. 'Why were we unable to drive it out?' they asked. ²⁰ He answered, 'Because you have so little faith. In truth I tell you, if your faith is the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.' 

When we pray for the sick does the Spirit come upon them? After prayer does the person experience ‘complete healing’ even if not a cure. We leave the cure to God’s wisdom but he/she should experience the Spirit.  If not, then, the frustrated outburst of Jesus is meant for us and not only for the disciples. The disciples are helpless to cure even though they have authority. Jesus is very severe with them because of their lack of faith. It prevents them from helping the sick. It is Jesus who heals through them. Do you believe in the presence of Jesus among us, that he wishes to ‘heal’ everyone and will do so if we ask him with trust?   What is impossible for you? Do you believe in Jesus?  In prayer do you ask him to increase your ‘so little faith’? Are others deprived of grace by your ‘little faith’?