Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Both of today’s readings reveal that our God is a God of mercy and hope. God frees the Israelites from slavery and promises justice for the gentiles through His beloved Son. These readings remind us that God offers us mercy and hope for our lives. Although God’s timing may not be ours, and God’s presence may not always be evident for us to witness, God s Spirit is still active and enduring.
In the first reading from Exodus, the Israelites are fleeing from the Egyptians under the protection of God. God leads them forward out of Egypt. As I reflect on this momentous occasion, I wonder how many of the Israelites never believed this would happen. For 430 years they had been living in captivity, but now with the swiftness of God’s power they were fleeing to a new land. Those who had placed their trust in God finally saw God’s mercy come to fruition. The hope in God that had given them reason to keep believing in God’s protection is now finally realized. The significance of this event is not forgotten. This Exodus is memorialized for generations to come as the children of Israel regularly celebrate their Passover into freedom.
The gospel reading describes the challenges Jesus faces as He attempts to preach His ministry of love and healing in the midst of the suspicion and fear of the Pharisees. Jesus does not try to draw attention to His works and cautions those who have been healed to not make him known. Matthew uses Isaiah’s prophecy to illustrate Jesus as the Beloved who will bring justice and hope to the Gentiles. This “chosen one” is not attention seeking, but shares God’s mercy and healing without fanfare. Jesus is present to those He is ministering to, but He understands that His ability to serve the masses will be limited if His works become well known. Quietly, Jesus is reaching out to the Gentiles as a beacon of hope, justice, and mercy. Jesus knows that His love is not limited to just the Jewish nation, but will be for all people.
These readings remind us that God offers the same mercy and hope to all of us. The scripture also suggest that the timing and details of God’s protection and mercy may not always be as we expect. The Israelites waited a long time for their deliverance, but God was still present and active during that time of waiting. Jesus performs many healings, and He includes people who are outside the expected recipients when He brings hope and justice to the Gentiles.
As we intercede with God for various petitions, these stories remind us to remain hopeful and confident in God’s grace even when the answer seems to be not forthcoming. Jesus also is present and active in our lives, but may not be readily seen as He promotes justice, mercy and love. Finding Christ in our daily world may require an active seeking to recognize Him in the small details of our life. If we do not take time to stop and reflect on what is occurring around us, we may actually miss the movement of the Spirit and the answers to prayer. If we believe that God’s mercy endures forever, then we need to open our eyes, hearts and minds to experience the many ways that God is sharing His mercy today.
We are also called to bring Christ’s mercy and hope to the world. Like Jesus, we do not need to bring attention or fanfare to our works, but we can be Christ’s presence in our daily encounters. It is the small unseen kindnesses and acts of mercy that we perform which will provide others with hope. Jesus shows us how we are to reach out and share His goodness with all people-not just those we are close to, but to those beyond our circle. Jesus demonstrates that God’s love is not limited, and He calls us to be generous and not restricted in how we share our gifts. As disciples of Christ, we allow God’s mercy to flow through us, so God can “bring justice to victory” even today.
Loving God, Jesus shows us the richness of Your goodness. May Your Spirit inspire us to live lives of love, healing and mercy, so others may find hope for our world. We ask this in Christ’s name. AMEN.
Marylynn Herchline