The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to maintain our faith in the healing and transforming power of our relationship with Christ.
The reading from the Prophet Hosea connects the Lord and Israel His Spouse.
* [2:21–22] Betroth…with: the betrothal was the legal moment before cohabitation when the dowry was paid to the father of the bride. In this remarriage the Lord gives the bride price to Israel herself “forever.” Justice…judgment: refer to equity and fairness of conduct. The next two terms, “loyalty” (hesed), the steadfast love between the covenant partners, and “compassion,” maternal love (cf. 1:6; 2:3, 25) are characteristic of Hosea. You shall know: not an abstract but a practical knowledge which means acknowledgment of God’s will and obedience to his law (4:1; 5:4; 6:3, 6). (Hosea, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 145 praises the Greatness and the Goodness of God
* [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, a girl is restored to life and a woman 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.)
Kent Beausoleil, S.J. comments that the Lord is always with us, in and through his life with us, as well as through our sisters and brothers. Present to us even when we feel like bruised reeds, where we experience oppression and discrimination, or when we sit imprisoned in some of life’s darkness. Jesus the Christ is alive, in our hearts, in others, in the Spirit that lives on, healing our bruises, liberating us to new life, offering us freedom and a new way of being and behaving.
Jesus loves all of us no matter what we're going through offering love, healing, and new life just like he did in our Gospel for the official whose daughter had died and Jesus raised her back to life, or to the woman suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years healed her not just in body, but in mind and spirit as well restoring her to being one with her community.
As we look outward seeking the face of God’s gaze this day we stand once again amazed at God’s gaze staring lovingly back at us. Baptized into this life with God we find in that place the truth that we are indeed holy, we are indeed temples of God, we are indeed, each one of us, sacred churches of truth and love, treasured. (Beausoleil, 2024)
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.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22 comments that today’s reading is an invitation for us to grapple with the reality that we are all, in some way or other, like Gomer and the people she represents. We all too often struggle with letting other “loves” come between us and our love and worship of the Lord. Our hearts are so easily divided! But God wants our whole heart, one that mirrors his own faithfulness to us.
It’s sometimes difficult to conceive how the Lord’s love for each one of us could be so steadfast and passionate. We might even find ourselves doubting it at times. If that happens, remember the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. God pursues us even when we have turned away from him. He seeks out the lost; he is faithful to the unfaithful. May we always have the grace and humility to return to him!
“Lord, I praise you for your never-ending love for me!” (Meditation on Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the analogy in Hosea between Gomer, Hosea’s unfaithful wife and Israel being unfaithful to God and worshipping “Baal”. In Matthew’s version of the healing described in Mark, Jesus knows who touched him as he declares the woman saved through both physical and spiritual healing. Friar Jude reminds us the young girl is reanimated and will eventually die again.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, names transformation as the fruit of an authentic spiritual path. The transformed mind lets us see how we process reality. It allows us to step back from our own personal processor so we can be more honest about what is really happening.
Authentic God experience always leads toward service, toward the depths, the margins, toward people suffering or considered outsiders. Little by little we allow our politics, economics, classism, sexism, racism, homophobia, and all superiority games to lose their former rationale. Our motivation foundationally changes from security, status, and control to generosity, humility, and cooperation. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)
We are grateful for the spiritual and physical healing that we experience in our relationship with Christ.
References
Beausoleil, K. (2024, July 8). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070824.html
Hosea, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/2?16
Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?18
Meditation on Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/08/1018768/
Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Authentic Experience and Transformation. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/authentic-experience-and-transformation/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take Heart, Your Faith Has Made You Well. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul8
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