Fear Faith and Freedom

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our concepts of fear and proclaim our faith is the path to freedom from beast-like behaviour.

Walk with Faith in Freedom

The Reading from the Prophet Hosea introduces an oracle of doom that surprisingly leads to hope.

* [2:18–19] Baal: the word means “lord, master.” It was commonly used by women of their husbands, but it is to be shunned as a title for the Lord because of its association with the fertility gods, the Baals. Many Israelites saw little if any difference between the worship of the Lord and the worship of the Baals, thereby dishonoring the true source of the land’s fertility. (Hosea, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 145 declares the “works of God” make God present and invite human praise

* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares as saved a woman suffering hemorrhages and the Daughter of a Synagogue leader is healed.

* [9:18–34] In this third group of miracles, the first (Mt 9:18–26) is clearly dependent on Mark (Mk 5:21–43). Though it tells of two miracles, the cure of the woman had already been included within the story of the raising of the official’s daughter, so that the two were probably regarded as a single unit. The other miracles seem to have been derived from Mark and Q, respectively, though there Matthew’s own editing is much more evident.

* [9:18] Official: literally, “ruler.” Mark calls him “one of the synagogue officials” (Mk 5:22). My daughter has just died: Matthew heightens the Marcan “my daughter is at the point of death” (Mk 5:23).

* [9:20] Tassel: possibly “fringe.” The Mosaic law prescribed that tassels be worn on the corners of one’s garment as a reminder to keep the commandments (see Nm 15:37–39; Dt 22:12).

* [9:24] Sleeping: sleep is a biblical metaphor for death (see Ps 87:6 LXX; Dn 12:2; 1 Thes 5:10). Jesus’ statement is not a denial of the child’s real death, but an assurance that she will be roused from her sleep of death. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that people of privilege, like an “Official”, can influence or buy positive outcomes.  We might wonder: Why did Jesus help “that guy”, when so many other children die?  Why was he more deserving? 

On deeper reflection, what became more meaningful to me was the reading’s illustration that the power and love of our God is always available, and available  to all of us.  “Ask and it shall be given.”  The more powerful Official asked for help, and witnessed a miracle.  The less powerful woman shyly acted in hope of a cure, and a cure was provided.  Who can say which of the two was more deserving?  Which of the two had greater faith?  The good news for all of us is that God’s love is abundant and unending: power, status, or any other socially constructed identifier doesn’t matter after all.  We all have equal access.  Ask.  It shall be given.  Amen.  (Grassmeyer, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Daughter, your faith has made you well,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

"So what did Messiah do? He did not let her go unnoticed but led her into the center of attention and made her visible. He had many reasons for doing this. Some might imagine that 'he did this merely for love of glory - otherwise why would he not allow her to remain concealed?' But what are they proposing who might say this? That he should keep her silent, that he should ignore her need, and thereby pass up miracles too numerous to mention, all because he is in love with glory? What an unholy thought, inspired by the most unholy one of all."

"What then is his intention in bringing her forward? First, Jesus puts an end to her fear. He does not want her to remain trapped in dread. He gives no cause for her conscience to be harmed, as if she had stolen the gift. Second, he corrects her assumption that she has no right to be seen. Third, he makes her faith an exhibit to all. He encourages the others to emulate her faith. Fourth, his subduing the fountains of her hemorrhage was another sign of his knowledge of all things. And finally, do you remember the ruler of the synagogue? He was at the point of despair, of utter ruin. Jesus is indirectly admonishing him by what he says to the woman." (excerpt from the THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 31.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Hosea married Gomer, an unfaithful wife who he forgave even as she kept turning away. Hosea presents this as a lesson to Israel continuing to return to false gods. Hosea proclaims Israel has been following her “baal”. Hosea will allure her, Gomer, as God will Israel into the desert to initiate a second opportunity to be espoused again. God wants the sinner to turn and return to His grace. By choosing sin we become cheap and beast-like. There are two healings in Matthew’s Gospel today. Touching the cloak of Jesus as an unclean person, was in opposition to Jewish culture that would have made Jesus unclean too. She touched and her faith has saved her, indicating Spirit and body were healed in an expression of faith. The mourners have begun to mark the death of the daughter of the Synagogue official and Jesus declares her sleeping and brings her back to life. Friar Jude notes there are two healings, smaller and larger. The daughter is not resurrected to eternal life, but reanimated because one day in the future she will die.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:18-26 comments that each of us faces struggles or fears that can drown out the truths of faith. The noise of our doubts, the lies of the evil one, and maybe even the words of other people can confuse us about Jesus’ love and presence with us in our struggles. They can shake our faith and provoke panic in our hearts.

At moments like that, imagine Jesus beside you. Bring your swirling thoughts to him. Imagine him telling your doubts and fears to go away as he marches them to the door. Stay with Jesus. It can take time for these voices to calm down and the turmoil to dispel. Believe that he is with you and that he knows what he’s going to do. Trust in him no matter how long it takes. Let him remind you that you are his, and he will never leave you. He is your Lord; you can surrender every part of your life to him. Peace really is possible as you persist in bringing your “commotion” to Jesus and letting him deal with it.

Not only is Jesus with you, but he lives in you. So turn to him in the uproar, and let the peace and quiet of his presence strengthen your faith.

“Jesus, you are faithful. I fix my eyes on you as you take me by the hand.” (Meditation on Matthew 9:18-26, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explores the first beatitude as a call to interior freedom, a key to participating in the kingdom of God. Christian Scripture scholars point out that the Greek word usually used for the peasant class is “tapeinoi”, but that is not the word Matthew and Luke use here. They use the word “ptochoi”, which literally means “the very empty ones, those who are crouching.” They are the beggars, the nobodies of this world who have nothing left. Jesus is saying, “Happy are you, you’re the freest of them all.”

The higher up we are in the system, the more trapped we are. The more we are outside the system, the freer we are. When we are high up in anything, we are expected to represent it, hold it together, and affirm it. The price of the truth can be very great, so we say what is needed to survive and to be liked inside the group, and to hold the group in unity.

“How blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), the ones who don’t have to play any of these games. Jesus is recommending a social reordering here, quite different from common practice. Notice how he also uses present tense: “The kingdom of God is theirs” (Matthew 5:3). He doesn’t say “will be theirs.” That tells us that the kingdom of God isn’t later. It’s present tense: We are the free ones now, if we remain without anything to protect or anything we need to prove or defend. (Rohr, n.d.)

As we contemplate the interaction of fear with our faith and freedom we implore the Spirit to guide our action as we live out our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

References

Grassmeyer, K. (2026, July 6). Daily Reflection July 6, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-6-2026 

Hosea, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/2? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?18 

Meditation on Matthew 9:18-26. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/06/1609483/ 

Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). How Do We Become Poor in Spirit? Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/how-do-we-become-poor-in-spirit/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take Heart, Your Faith Has Made You Well. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Our Heritage of Humble Help

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to reflect on our vision of a “messiah” and the path we may be invited to follow to receive what we desire.

Humble Heritage

The Reading from the Prophet Zechariah presents a humble figure to restore Israel.

* [9:9–10] These two verses form the centerpiece of chap. 9. The restoration of a royal figure connects the first part of the chapter (vv. 1–8), which depicts the restored land of Israel, with the second part (vv. 11–17), which concerns the restoration of the people Israel.

* [9:9] Your king: a just savior, a figure of humble demeanor, but riding on a donkey like royalty in the ancient Near East (Gn 49:11; Jgs 5:10; 10:4). The announcement of the coming of such a king marks a departure from the view of the royal figure as a conquering warrior. This depiction is in keeping with the tone of First Zechariah (3:8; 4:6–10; 6:12) but contrasts with Haggai (2:20–23). New Testament authors apply this prophecy to Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21:4–5; Jn 12:14–15).

* [9:10] The River: probably the Euphrates; see note on Ps 72:8. (Zechariah, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 145 proclaims God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship.

* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Reading from the Letter to the Romans, Paul concludes Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit.

* [8:1–13] After his warning in Rom 7 against the wrong route to fulfillment of the objective of holiness expressed in Rom 6:22, Paul points his addressees to the correct way. Through the redemptive work of Christ, Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and death. Holiness was impossible so long as the flesh (or our “old self”), that is, self-interested hostility toward God (Rom 8:7), frustrated the divine objectives expressed in the law. What is worse, sin used the law to break forth into all manner of lawlessness (Rom 8:8). All this is now changed. At the cross God broke the power of sin and pronounced sentence on it (Rom 8:3). Christians still retain the flesh, but it is alien to their new being, which is life in the spirit, namely the new self, governed by the holy Spirit. Under the direction of the holy Spirit Christians are able to fulfill the divine will that formerly found expression in the law (Rom 8:4). The same Spirit who enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day (Rom 8:11). Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit (Rom 8:13). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims Praise of the Father and describes The Gentle Mastery of Christ.

* [11:25–27] This Q saying, identical with Lk 10:21–22 except for minor variations, introduces a joyous note into this section, so dominated by the theme of unbelief. While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus’ preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father’s revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes.

* [11:28–29] These verses are peculiar to Matthew and are similar to Ben Sirach’s invitation to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sir 51:23, 26).

* [11:28] Who labor and are burdened: burdened by the law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:4).

* [11:29] In place of the yoke of the law, complicated by scribal interpretation, Jesus invites the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they will find rest; cf. Jer 6:16. (Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, comments that religion is a burden of “have-tos” and “ought-tos” if spirituality does not free us. Legal conformity without a sense of the common good, tends toward resistance and resentment. The ways and teachings of Jesus are invitations to freedom.

 

Yes, invitations are central is the personality of Jesus and how we allow Him to personally relate to and within us. Who He is to and for us is central to our responding to His urgings and invitations. He desires to take off His badge of authority and replace it with His gentle countenance and life-affirming winks. This is the tension, do we want a pharisee-sheriff or a Gentle Presence abiding. He does see all that the Pharisees saw, but with gentle professorial glasses. (Gillick, 2026)

In a connection to the MacPherson heritage, James and John McPherson were privates, perhaps unwilling conscripts, in the 82nd Regiment ,raised in 1778, to combat the Rebels in the 13 Colonies who chose to accept a plot of land in Nova Scotia, where the invitation to become the 14th Colony had been rejected, rather than return to Scotland.

Historically, remember, there were many Loyalists in those times of early dependence that fought against separation from England. They wanted the older and more conventional ways. So there were many followers of Jesus who grew frightened of trusting Jesus and His new ways. This year, the Fifth of July can be a new freedom Day as we receive the Word and the Eucharist as His way of loving and living more His Gentleness of Heart within us. (Gillick, 2026)

Learn from Me and You Will Find Rest for Your Soul

Don Schwager quotes “The grace of Christ bears us up,” from an anonymous early Christian teacher.

"'My yoke is easy and my burden light'... The prophet says this about the burden of sinners: 'Because my iniquities lie on top of my head, so they have also placed a heavy burden on me' (Psalm 38:4)... 'Place my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am gentle and humble of heart.' Oh, what a very pleasing weight that strengthens even more those who carry it! For the weight of earthly masters gradually destroys the strength of their servants, but the weight of Christ rather helps the one who bears it, because we do not bear grace; grace bears us. It is not for us to help grace, but rather grace has been given to aid us." (excerpt from the INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 29: PG 56:780) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30 comments that when Jesus told his disciples to take his yoke upon them, they would have understood what he meant: “Take up my teaching. Immerse yourself in my words. Let what I have taught you become your highest priority and greatest treasure.” They would have also known why he said that his yoke is “easy” and his burden is “light”: anyone who takes up his yoke will find relief and “rest” from their other concerns and burdens (Matthew 11:30, 28).

We often think of a yoke as a burden: a heavy instrument that weighs us down and restricts our movement. We might even think this way about the practice of pondering Jesus’ teachings. But he promises the exact opposite: dwelling on his words in Scripture raises our hearts and minds to heaven. It opens us up to the presence of his Spirit, who wants to heal our wounds, strengthen our wills, and shape our desires. It helps us to understand that the life he calls us to is a joy and a privilege.

Jesus is a shepherd who wants only what is the best for us. His words are filled with wisdom and guidance. They have the power to shape our hearts and minds after his own image. So let’s study them. Let’s contemplate them. Let’s invite his Spirit into our hearts so that his yoke becomes easier and his burden lighter every day.

“Jesus, thank you for teaching me the way I should go!” (Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Zechariah, written rather late in the Hebrew Testament, the hero is riding on a donkey indicating the Messiah would be meek and vulnerable. This is fulfilled during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem at Easter. Paul contrasts “sarx", our concupiscence in a different manner than John who understands our material nature as a more negative opposition to the Spirit.  We have to live according to the Spirit.  In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus thanks the Father for mysteries revealed to the simple contrary to our assumption, at times, that theologians know better, but those who believe without analytic proof are like a child who will trust without extensive explanation. We should remember that when Jesus implores us to “Take my yoke” it refers to a yoke carved for two oxen not one. The custom fit was to that particular ox. If we try to plow on our own we do not make straight furrows. Friar Jude reminds us that our burdens are the Way we collaborate with Christ.

A Surprising Teaching

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC teacher Brian McLaren who sets the scene for comments in the Daily Meditations that will reflect on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–16), Jesus’s core teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. 

Jesus begins in a fascinating way. He uses the term blessed to address the question of identity, the question of who we want to be. In Jesus’s day, to say, “Blessed are these people” is to say “Pay attention: these are the people you should aspire to be like….” It’s the opposite of saying “Woe to those people” or “Cursed are those people,” which means, “Take note: you definitely don’t want to be like those people….” His words no doubt surprise everyone, because we normally play by these rules of the game:

• Do everything you can to be rich and powerful.
• Toughen up and harden yourself against all feelings of loss.
• Measure your success by how much of the time you are thinking only of yourself and your own happiness.
• Be independent and aggressive, hungry and thirsty for higher status in the social pecking order.
• Strike back quickly when others strike you, and guard your image so you’ll always be popular.

But Jesus defines success and well-being in a profoundly different way…. He advocates an identity characterized by solidarity, sensitivity, and nonviolence. He celebrates those who long for justice, embody compassion, and manifest integrity and nonduplicity. He creates a new kind of hero: not warriors, corporate executives, or politicians, but brave and determined activists for preemptive peace, willing to suffer with him in the prophetic tradition of justice… (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the position of Jesus as a humble teacher who invites us to learn the fullness of life in a custom partnership that He refers to as a yoke and presents a Way for life that is true and meaningful.

References

Gillick, L. (2026, July 5). Daily Reflection July 5, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-5-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?25 

Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/05/1608800/ 

Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Surprising Teaching. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Learn from Me and You Will Find Rest for Your Soul. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zechariah, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/9?9 

The Bridegroom and Blessing

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the 51st anniversary of our marriage, lead us to ponder our great blessing and our desire to share love, hope, and blessing with our family and friends.

Bride Groom and Blessings

The Reading from the Prophet Amos is an editorial supplement to Amos, added to bring the book into harmony with the positive thrust of the prophetic books in general

* [9:11–15] These verses are most likely an editorial supplement to Amos, added to bring the book into harmony with the positive thrust of the prophetic books in general, especially those written after the exile, when the final edition of Amos was probably completed. The editors would have seen the destruction of Samaria in 722/721 B.C. as the fulfillment of Amos’s prophecies, but in this epilogue they express the view that destruction was not the Lord’s final word for Israel. In Acts 15:15–17, James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. The fallen hut of David: the Davidic kingdom, which included what later became the divided Northern and Southern Kingdoms. All nations claimed in my name: lit., “all nations over whom my name has been pronounced.” This idiom denotes ownership.

* [9:14] Rebuild…inhabit…plant…drink: in this era of restoration, the Lord nullifies the curse of 5:11, which uses these same four verbs, and turns it into a blessing for Israel. (Amos, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 85 declares to Judea that God will be active on their behalf.

* [Psalm 85] A national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness (Ps 85:2–4) and begging for forgiveness and grace now (Ps 85:5–8). A speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts (Ps 85:9–10): God will be active on their behalf (Ps 85:11–13). The situation suggests the conditions of Judea during the early postexilic period, the fifth century B.C.; the thoughts are similar to those of postexilic prophets (Hg 1:5–11; 2:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 85 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses the Question About Fasting.

* [9:15] Fasting is a sign of mourning and would be as inappropriate at this time of joy, when Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom, as it would be at a marriage feast. Yet the saying looks forward to the time when Jesus will no longer be with the disciples visibly, the time of Matthew’s church. Then they will fast: see Didache 8:1.

* [9:16–17] Each of these parables speaks of the unsuitability of attempting to combine the old and the new. Jesus’ teaching is not a patching up of Judaism, nor can the gospel be contained within the limits of Mosaic law. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cindy Costanzo comments Change happens. A new generation adopts new practices, creates new technology, the old gives away to the new. And yet change is hard, we grieve what has past, we wish the change had not happened, we are slow or may refuse to accept the change.

However, if our joy and belief is in God’s kingdom should we not trust that change can and will bring something good? If we are graced with faith - then by faith alone we should trust that God will reveal to us the value of the change; to recognize the good and an understanding of its value within our lives.

In today’s scripture Jesus also reminds us of joy. How we should celebrate recognizing “Joy for Joy”. Yes, our world can be described as a fallen, sinful world but there is so much to love and embrace about our world so let’s celebrate this grace. Let’s be willing to reshape our attitudes, engage new ideas, welcome the value change brings, and grow in our faith and pass our positive attitudes, and wonderful faith in God to the next generation so joy stays alive. God’s kingdom as Jesus shared with his disciples is alive and will continue to shatter our expectations but only if we open our hearts to the possibilities. (Costanzo, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “No need to fast in the presence of the Bridegroom,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"The Pharisees and John's disciples were fasting, and the apostles were not. But Jesus answered them in a spiritual way and indicated to John's disciples that he was a bridegroom. John taught that all hope in life lay in Christ. While he was still preaching, however, his disciples could not be received by the Lord. Up until the time of John, the law and the prophets prevailed, and unless the law came to an end, none of them would subscribe to faith in the gospel. The fact that he said there was no need for his disciples to fast as long as the bridegroom is with them illustrates the joy of his presence and the sacrament of the holy food, which no one need be without while he is present, that is, bearing Christ in the light of the mind. But once he is gone, Jesus says that they will fast, for all those who do not believe that Christ has risen will not have the food of life. By faith in the resurrection, the sacrament of the heavenly bread is received. Whoever is without Christ will be forsaken, fasting from the food of life." (excerpt from the commentary ON MATTHEW 9.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:14-17 comments that Jesus’ words remind us that we are not following him on an endlessly painful journey. He is our bridegroom, the fulfillment of all our desires! So we do not lose hope. We trust that his Spirit dwells within us now, and one day we will join him in the glory of heaven.

In this life, we will have troubles, but they cannot compare with the wedding that is to come! While we embrace the sufferings of this life, we keep our hearts fixed on the joy that awaits us: perfect and eternal union with our God in heaven. He wants us to join him in his wedding banquet, a feast that will last for all eternity.

Whether you are feeling God’s closeness, his absence, or a mixture of both today, know that Jesus, your bridegroom, is with you. He will lead you all the way to his heavenly wedding.

“Jesus, I rejoice that you are with me now, as I wait for your return!” (Meditation on Matthew 9:14-17, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Amos has been tough on the Israelites, predicting being overthrown but he ends with a promise of restoration and abundant harvest and a prophecy  that they will plant vineyards and drink wine and have a permanent dwelling not taken away from them. Did Amos actually write it? The same vocabulary and restoration after suffering is frequent in prophetic texts. In the Gospel of Matthew, the Disciples ask about fasting. Jesus reminds them the wedding guests do not fast while the bridegroom is present. Friar Jude addresses “Why fast?” and cites discipline, repairing relationship with God, solidarity with those who need, and fast as the one who has loved us most has loved us to death. At a wedding we have good food and clothes and maybe Mark put the sayings linked to wedding and new clothes here. Perhaps they were not originally here?

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that writing to a friend, the spiritual writer and Catholic priest Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) reflects on how we share our joy of being God’s beloved with others. 

No one is brought to life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. There is so much of that taking place around us all the time. And it calls forth only darkness, destruction, and death. As the “blessed ones,” we can walk through this world and offer blessings. It doesn’t require much effort. It flows naturally from our hearts. When we hear within ourselves the voice calling us by name and blessing us, the darkness no longer distracts us.

You live in New York. I live in Toronto. As you walk down Columbus Avenue and I down Yonge Street, we can have no illusions about the darkness. The loneliness, the homelessness, and the addictedness of people are all too visible. Yet all of these people yearn for a blessing. That blessing can be given only by those who have heard it themselves…. We are chosen and blessed. When we have truly owned this, have said “Yes” to it, then we can face our own and others’ brokenness with open eyes. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are thankful for our blessings and implore the Spirit to be people who share our experience of faith, hope, and love with the community with whom we share our days.

References

Amos, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/amos/9?11 

Costanzo, C. (2026, July 4). Daily Reflection July 4, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-4-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?14 

  

Psalms, PSALM 85 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/85?9 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Everyone Is Chosen: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/everyone-is-chosen-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Day Will Come When They Will Fast. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/