Monday, July 06, 2020 - 14th week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9, 18-26 - Our Saviour, Christ Jesus, destroyed death; he made life shine through the Gospel.
Christian brothers and sisters! Jesus shows us a mirror and an example in the Gospel, which is his life, and which is a daily spiritual nourishment offered to us. Jesus is not a demagogue, but He proves by His life what He teaches. In several chapters preceding today's one, Matthew presents us with Jesus' teachings on the mountain. Many of these teachings show us how we should behave as Christians. At the end of his teachings, Jesus goes to put them into action, hence the many miracles and healings that are told to us.
In this Gospel, Jesus performed two distinct miracles, both of which have the appeal of life. He will prove that life is precious and that life takes precedence over all laws. This is His teaching and He urges us to do the same. However, we need faith first. These two miracles required faith. The notable man, having faith that Jesus could raise the dead, did not hesitate to come to Him, imploring the resurrection of his daughter. The woman with haemorrhage also had faith that if she could touch Jesus, even if it was only his clothes, then she would be healed. These are manifestations of faith.
We have seen that both the notable who asked for the resurrection of his daughter and the woman who asked for healing have received grace. Only faith can save us. Faith is important and it is the faith that we can accomplish something. If we have little faith, even our prayers will be filled with doubt. The pandemic that the world is going through right now is a great test. It is the perfect time to test the maturity of our faith. Do we believe that God is protecting and saving us? Do we believe that Jesus heals us and does not leave us alone? Let us therefore strengthen our faith and respond to the call of the Church to pray and come out victorious from this great trial. When we ask with faith, God cannot do nothing for us. Amen!
