He Cured All

The WORD today (see http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072118.cfm) reminds me of God’s generosity in giving his love and blessings. 

People nowadays are not as generous in giving love. Perhaps it is the thought of getting hurt, or how other people will receive the love given. Perhaps it is the fear of being abused by opportunists. However, God is not like that. He generously gives his healing and saving love to those who come to him, to those who asks for it.

In the gospel, we see that God does not disappoint. The people made an effort and showed their faith when they followed Jesus to be cured, to be healed. And he rewarded that. He cured them all. 

How powerful. How generous. What a great reminder of Jesus’ love and power. 

There were a lot of people who followed Jesus, a lot of people who showed faith. I’m sure they all had different sickness and diseases. Some had grave ones, who is at the point of helplessness and hopelessness. Some probably had minor ones, like fever or maybe even headache. But what is inspiring is how God cured them all. Lahat sila. Everyone who was there. Everyone who had faith in him. Everyone who wanted to be cured. God did not say he will cure only the serious sickness – those at the point of death. He did not say he will cure only the easy to cure stuff, the minor ones .No sickness or concern is too small for God to pay attention to, or too big that he cannot handle. He cured them all!

Good news – this love, power and generosity shown by Jesus two thousand years ago is still alive until now!

God is still able and is still willing to cure all who come to him. All who have faith to come to him. All who humble themselves to come to him. It does not matter if we come to him with huge, almost impossible situations, sickness or concerns.. it doesn’t matter if we come to him with almost trivial, small concerns. From then until now, God cures all who come to him… we just need to come to him in faith.

Do I know God is all loving and all powerful? Do I believe God’s love and his power? Do I come to Him with my problems and concerns, having faith that he can cure and will cure me? What concern have I not yet offered to Him? Do I believe he can cure and heal me?

May we always be reminded of God’s infinite love and goodness. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another weekend. Thank you your great and generous love for us. Thank you for reminding me today that you can and will still heal and cure all who come to you. Lord, sorry for the times I doubt. Sorry for having doubts and concerns. may I always remember your love, and may I always have faith. Sometimes, especially when my concerns are too big or too small, I do not come to you. Sometimes when it’s too big, I think that you cannot do anything about it anymore. When it’s too small, I get ashamed or shy to bring these little concerns to you. But father God, I know that I am important to you, and my concerns, no matter how big or  small they may be, are important and that you can do anything. May I just have that faith to come to you with whatever concerns I have. Amen.

Blessed Weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

July 21, 2018

Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 394

Reading 1 

MI 2:1-5

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.

On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
"Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!"
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm PS 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14

R. (12b) Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof?
Why hide in times of distress?
Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted,
who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
For the wicked man glories in his greed,
and the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought.
The wicked man boasts, "He will not avenge it";
"There is no God," sums up his thoughts.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
His mouth is full of cursing, guile and deceit;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He lurks in ambush near the villages;
in hiding he murders the innocent;
his eyes spy upon the unfortunate.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow,
taking them in your hands.
On you the unfortunate man depends;
of the fatherless you are the helper.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

Alleluia 2 COR 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope