The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess the scope of our compassion and care and wrestle with the prompting of the Spirit to extend our compassion to those in need.
The reading from the Book of Genesis describes the origin of Jacob’s New Name.
* [32:23–33] As Jacob crosses over to the land promised him, worried about the impending meeting with Esau, he encounters a mysterious adversary in the night with whom he wrestles until morning. The cunning Jacob manages to wrest a blessing from the night stranger before he departs. There are folkloric elements in the tale—e.g., the trial of the hero before he can return home, the nocturnal demon’s loss of strength at sunrise, the demon protecting its river, the power gained by knowledge of an opponent’s name—but these have been worked into a coherent though elliptical narrative. The point of the tale seems to be that the ever-striving, ever-grasping Jacob must eventually strive with God to attain full possession of the blessing.
* [32:25] A man: as with Abraham’s three visitors in chap. 18, who appear sometimes as three, two, and one (the latter being God), this figure is fluid; he loses the match but changes Jacob’s name (v. 29), an act elsewhere done only by God (17:5, 15). A few deft narrative touches manage to express intimate contact with Jacob while preserving the transcendence proper to divinity.
* [32:29] Israel: the first part of the Hebrew name Yisrael is given a popular explanation in the word saritha, “you contended”; the second part is the first syllable of ’elohim, “divine beings.” The present incident, with a similar allusion to the name Israel, is referred to in Hos 12:5, where the mysterious wrestler is explicitly called an angel.
* [32:31] Peniel: a variant of the word Penuel (v. 32), the name of a town on the north bank of the Jabbok in Gilead (Jgs 8:8–9, 17; 1 Kgs 12:25). The name is explained as meaning “the face of God,” peni-’el. Yet my life has been spared: see note on 16:13. (Genesis, CHAPTER 32|USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 17 is a lament of an individual unjustly attacked.
* [Psalm 17] A lament of an individual unjustly attacked. Confident of being found innocent, the psalmist cries out for God’s just judgment (Ps 17:1–5) and requests divine help against enemies (Ps 17:6–9a). Those ravenous lions (Ps 17:9b–12) should be punished (Ps 17:13–14). The Psalm ends with a serene statement of praise (Ps 17:15). The Hebrew text of Ps 17:3–4, 14 is uncertain. (Psalms, PSALM 17|USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew proclaims the Healing of a Mute Person through the Compassion of Jesus.
* [9:32–34] The source of this story seems to be Q (see Lk 11:14–15). As in the preceding healing of the blind, Matthew has two versions of this healing, the later in Mt 12:22–24 and the earlier here.
* [9:34] This spiteful accusation foreshadows the growing opposition to Jesus in Mt 11 and 12.
* [9:35] See notes on Mt 4:23–25; Mt 8:1–9:38.
* [9:36] See Mk 6:34; Nm 27:17; 1 Kgs 22:17.
* [9:37–38] This Q saying (see Lk 10:2) is only imperfectly related to this context. It presupposes that only God (the master of the harvest) can take the initiative in sending out preachers of the gospel, whereas in Matthew’s setting it leads into Mt 10 where Jesus does so. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Maggie Knight asks how often do we, too, find ourselves wrestling with God – interiorly, in prayer, in our questions, in the silence of uncertainty?
Perhaps we need not fear meeting God in the dark. Perhaps some nights of wrestling are invitations. Sometimes, perhaps God meets us in the struggle to bless us through it.
Today, let us be more mindful of the ways God draws near us in our solitude, in our wrestling. Are we willing to stay with Him long enough to receive what He offers? May we have the courage to ask for His blessing – and the humility to welcome the change it brings. (Knight, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Freedom and healing in Christ,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).
"In the deaf and dumb and demoniac appear the need of the Gentiles for a complete healing. Beleaguered on all sides by misfortune, they were associated with all types of the body's infirmities. And in this regard a proper order of things is observed. For the devil is first cast out; then the other bodily benefits follow suit. With the folly of all superstitions put to flight by the knowledge of God, sight and hearing and words of healing are introduced. The declaration of the onlookers followed their admiration over what took place: 'Never has the like been seen in Israel.' Indeed, he whom the law could not help was made well by the power of the Word, and the deaf and dumb man spoke the praises of God. Deliverance has been given to the Gentiles. All the towns and all the villages are enlightened by the power and presence of Christ, and the people are freed from every impairment of the timeless malady. (excerpt from ON MATTHEW 9.10) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:32-38 comments that we live in an era that prizes skepticism about anything we can’t explain scientifically. At the same time, many of us carry past hurts and disappointments stemming from times when we felt sure that God would come to our aid, only to be let down. Setbacks like these can make us cynical and hesitant to trust in the Lord again.
Jesus is still active today! He is still working miracles. Don’t let suspicion or fear cloud your vision. Try to set aside your doubts. If you ask, the Holy Spirit will open your eyes. He will start healing your wounded heart. Even if you don’t fully understand how, he will help you rest in the assurance that he is near, always inviting you to see his goodness.
“Lord, open my eyes and my heart!” (Meditation on Matthew 9:32-38, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Genesis 32 places Jacob in the ancestral home where he has two concubines and children as he gets ready to meet Esau. Does he encounter an angel or God? He is named Israel as he fights with God and receives a new name, in contrast to the liar, the grasper, in Jeremiah the deceiver, Israel refers to Jacob when he does not lie. When Jesus meets Nathaniel, a true Israelite, he is recognized as an honest man. An etiology explains not eating the sciatic muscle. The limp of Israel is respected. Friar Jude notes that driving the demon is out of a man, Jesus observes they are sheep without a shepherd God with priests who had rejected the Lord Jesus to lead them in the right path.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Debie Thomas who considers how Jonah’s story challenges our notions of God’s mercy. After hearing Jonah’s complaints, God asks, “What right do you have to get angry?” (Jonah 4:9). Thomas comments:
To Jonah, then, God’s question is a ridiculous one. Of course he has a right to be angry. Isn’t it right to be angry that God’s mercy extends to killers? Isn’t it right to be angry when people who break the rules don’t get the comeuppance they deserve? Isn’t it right to be angry about a grace so reckless and wasteful that it challenges our most cherished assumptions about justice?
All too often, we are also left to wrestle with the scandalous goodness of God, a goodness that calls us to become instruments of grace even to those who offend us most deeply. God’s goodness gently probes beneath our pieties and asks why we often prefer vindication to rehabilitation—prison cells and death sentences to hospitality and compassion. It exposes our smallness and stinginess, our reluctance to embrace the radical kinship God calls us to embrace. Why do we grab at the second chances God gives us, even as we deny those second chances to others? God’s goodness dares us to do the braver and riskier thing: to hold out for the hearts of those who belong to God, whether we like them or not. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit to enlighten our mission to be truth, faith, compassion, and love in our environment.
References
Genesis, CHAPTER 32|USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/32?23
Knight, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-8-2025
Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?32
Meditation on Matthew 9:32-38. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/07/08/1327720/
Psalms, PSALM 17|USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/17?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jonahs-anger-and-our-own/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Never Seen Anything like This. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 8, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jul8
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