Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s psalm, Psalm 145, is unequivocally my favorite psalm! I simply adore the words of this Scripture and often find myself saying it over and over in my head like a song that I just heard on the radio. Simply said, these words are beyond beautiful! If you have a moment, even before continuing to read this reflection, open your Bible and digest the words of Psalm 145. With so many wonderful, yet loosely connected statements, such as “I will praise your name forever and ever” or “The Lord is gracious and merciful”, every verse reflects the glory, goodness, and power of God, fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
In verse 4 of Psalm 145 David proclaims that, “One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works.” What a profound truth! I heard someone say recently that “faith is rightly derivative,” and I couldn’t agree more. Speaking with a friend on this subject, my friend cleverly reminded me that, “if we’re original, we might be heretical.” In other words, the Christian faith is appropriately given, received, and vigilantly passed on again for others to receive. This cyclic and communicative nature of faith reflects the beauty of Catholicism and ensures, through the Holy Spirit, the truths contained in the teachings of the Church. In this same way, from generation after generation, we are entrusted with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the glory, goodness, and power of God throughout history is made present to us today.
In today’s first reading from Hosea, the Lord promises to renew the marriage between Himself and Israel and, as a wedding gift to His people, endow Israel in right, in justice, in love, in mercy and in fidelity. By recalling His relationship with Israel during her youth in which God had rescued her from the land of Egypt, God reminds Israel of His faithfulness to their ancestors. However, for God, it is not enough to reveal Himself to a past generation. It is not enough to recount previous acts of faithfulness and mercy. Rather, Hosea portrays God as a God who is active in present history, who is still involved in the entire course of humanity, and who is deeply concerned with His relationship with His people- today! Even when one generation fails, the Lord remains faithful and continues reveal Himself to humanity in order that we too “shall know the Lord” (Hos. 2:22) in an intimate and personal way. Generation after generation we are given a practical knowledge of God that is not only rooted in tradition, but also confirmed in personal experience with this God. In this way, the story of God’s revelation to previous generations becomes part of our story as well.
Today’s Gospel from Matthew fulfills God’s promise that we “shall know the Lord” in the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the story of God’s glory, goodness, and power is revealed in a way that no other generation had ever experienced before. In today’s Gospel reading, two miraculous stories of Jesus’ saving power are described by Matthew. First, a woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years touches the tassel of Jesus’ cloak and is cured by faith in Jesus. Second, Jesus brings a young girl back to life during her own funeral. In both accounts, Jesus’ power, goodness, and compassion are revealed. Because Matthew notes that Jesus’ disciples had followed Him to the official’s house, we can assume that they were witnesses to both miraculous events. Imagine being in their shoes! Imagine hearing the words of Jesus as he tells the hemorrhaging woman, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” Or, imagine watching Jesus walking hand in hand with a girl who had been dead just moments prior. I would imagine that we would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to keep the goodness and power of God to ourselves. But sometimes, even though we are aware of God’s glory in our lives, this is exactly what we do- we keep it to ourselves. At the end of today’s Gospel reading, Matthew reports that the news of the young girl’s resurrection “spread throughout all that land.” As disciples, and in accordance with Psalm 145, we are called to proclaim the might of God, to speak of His glorious majesty, and to tell the entire world of God’s wondrous works, generation after generation.
Just as the traditions, legacies, memories, and all that we hold dear are passed down to future generations, our faith is no different. And despite obstacles and spiritual attacks, the Church has miraculously continued to grow and pass on the Gospel of Christ in the face of tremendous persecution. Generation after generation, the story of God’s goodness and greatness is passed on. As disciples, we bear witness to this story and we profess a God who is active in the world today! Every Eucharist we experience an encounter with the living Christ, who takes us by the hand and brings us to eternal life. Today, let us pray for the grace to be able to joyfully share the faith that has been given to us, so that generation after generation the truth of God’s love and presence in the world may be known. Amen.
Ryan J. Mahle