The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to hear the ancient call of the Father to love God and neighbour and to activate our faith in the action of God to bring about the best outcome for our troubles.
The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy declares The Great Commandment and proclaims Fidelity in Prosperity.
* [6:4–5] This passage, an expansion of the first commandment (5:6–10), contains the basic principle of the whole Mosaic law, the keynote of the Book of Deuteronomy: since the Lord alone is God, Israel must love him with an undivided heart. Jesus cited these words as “the greatest and the first commandment,” embracing in itself the whole law of God (Mt 22:37–38; Mk 12:29–30; Lk 10:27).
* [6:4] Hear, O Israel!: in Hebrew, shema yisra’el; hence this passage (vv. 4–9), containing the Great Commandment, is called the Shema. In later Jewish tradition, 11:13–21 and Nm 15:37–41 were added to form a prayer recited every evening and morning. The LORD is our God, the LORD alone: other possible translations are “the Lord our God is one Lord”; “the Lord our God, the Lord is one”; “the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”
* [6:8] Bind them…as a sign: these injunctions were probably meant merely in a figurative sense; cf. Ex 13:9, 16. In the late postexilic period, they were taken quite literally, and devout Jews tied on their arms and foreheads “phylacteries,” boxes containing strips of parchment on which these words were inscribed; cf. Mt 23:5.
* [6:13] Him shall you serve: the verb could be translated as either “serve” or “worship” (cf. 5:9). (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 18 has two parallel reports of rescue.
* [Psalm 18] A royal thanksgiving for a military victory, duplicated in 2 Sm 22. Thanksgiving Psalms are in essence reports of divine rescue. The Psalm has two parallel reports of rescue, the first told from a heavenly perspective (Ps 18:5–20), and the second from an earthly perspective (Ps 18:36–46). The first report adapts old mythic language of a cosmic battle between sea and rainstorm in order to depict God’s rescue of the Israelite king from his enemies. Each report has a short hymnic introduction (Ps 18:2–4, 32–36) and conclusion (Ps 18:21–31, 47–50). (Psalms, PSALM 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew describes the Healing of a Boy with a Demon.
* [17:14–20] Matthew has greatly shortened the Marcan story (Mk 9:14–29). Leaving aside several details of the boy’s illness, he concentrates on the need for faith, not so much on the part of the boy’s father (as does Mark, for Matthew omits Mk 9:22b–24) but on that of his own disciples whose inability to drive out the demon is ascribed to their little faith (Mt 17:20).
* [17:15] A lunatic: this description of the boy is peculiar to Matthew. The word occurs in the New Testament only here and in Mt 4:24 and means one affected or struck by the moon. The symptoms of the boy’s illness point to epilepsy, and attacks of this were thought to be caused by phases of the moon.
* [17:17] Faithless and perverse: so Matthew and Luke (Lk 9:41) against Mark’s faithless (Mk 9:19). The Greek word here translated perverse is the same as that in Dt 32:5 LXX, where Moses speaks to his people. There is a problem in knowing to whom the reproach is addressed. Since the Matthean Jesus normally chides his disciples for their little faith (as in Mt 17:20), it would appear that the charge of lack of faith could not be made against them and that the reproach is addressed to unbelievers among the Jews. However in Mt 17:20b (if you have faith the size of a mustard seed), which is certainly addressed to the disciples, they appear to have not even the smallest faith; if they had, they would have been able to cure the boy. In the light of Mt 17:20b the reproach of Mt 17:17 could have applied to the disciples. There seems to be an inconsistency between the charge of little faith in Mt 17:20a and that of not even a little in Mt 17:20b.
* [17:18] The demon came out of him: not until this verse does Matthew indicate that the boy’s illness is a case of demoniacal possession.
* [17:20] The entire verse is an addition of Matthew who (according to the better attested text) omits the reason given for the disciples’ inability in Mk 9:29. Little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Faith the size of a mustard seed…and it will move: a combination of a Q saying (cf. Lk 17:6) with a Marcan saying (cf. Mk 11:23). (Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)
A Member of Creighton University Community is reminded of many parent-child interactions. In fact, for those of us who are parents, it may remind us of interactions with our children where, with the benefit of hindsight, we wish we’d shown a little more patience, let the child work through the problem himself and then tried to teach the lesson a little more gently.
But, of course, Jesus was human as well as divine. When I was a child, I used to think of Jesus as being “perfect” in a human way. He must’ve been the smartest in his class, the best at sports and so on. But that childish view of him misses the most important aspect of him to us, which is that he really was human and had to suffer with many of the things that we do. He got hungry and thirsty, caught colds and even lost his patience occasionally. (Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Faith as a grain of mustard seed,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"The mountains here spoken of, in my opinion, are the hostile powers that have their being in a flood of great wickedness, such as are settled down, so to speak, in some souls of various people. But when someone has total faith, such that he no longer disbelieves in anything found in holy Scripture and has faith like that of Abraham, who so believed in God to such a degree that his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), then he has all faith like a grain of mustard seed. Then such a man will say to this mountain - I mean in this case the deaf and dumb spirit in him who is said to be epileptic - 'Move from here to another place.' It will move. This means it will move from the suffering person to the abyss. The apostle, taking this as his starting point, said with apostolic authority, 'If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains' (1 Corinthians 13:2). For he who has all faith - which is like a grain of mustard seed - moves not just one mountain but also more just like it. And nothing will be impossible for the person who has so much faith. Let us examine also this statement: 'This kind is not cast out except through prayer and fasting' (Mark 9:29). If at any time it is necessary that we should be engaged in the healing of one suffering from such a disorder, we are not to adjure nor put questions nor speak to the impure spirit as if it heard. But [by] devoting ourselves to prayer and fasting, we may be successful as we pray for the sufferer, and by our own fasting we may thrust out the unclean spirit from him." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13.7.19) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today. The Deuteronomy reading contains the Shema Israel, proclamation to love God with our heart, (thinking), soul, (in times of persecution), and strength, (physical possessions). People will inherit a land they did not prepare or civilize. In Matthew, the description of the illness seems to point to epilepsy, and the disciples cannot heal with little fath relying on their own authority. Healing requests may be presuming what God wants. Maybe God has a greater purpose for not honouring our request. Friar Jude reminds us that God gives the most loving answer even promising to meet us on the cross.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author and psychotherapist Thomas Moore who explains that through the Gospels, Jesus models a path for a transformative way of life.
How, then, do you live the Gospel spirit today? You do exactly what the Gospel says: Firstly, you cultivate a deep respect for people who are not of your circle and whom society rejects…. Secondly, you do everything possible to deal effectively with demonic urges in yourself and in society. You do something about aggression, paranoia, narcissism, greed, jealousy, and violence. You live with a mind-set that doesn’t justify such things but seeks alternatives. Thirdly, you play the role of healer in every situation. The word therapy [healing] appears 47 times in the New Testament—you adopt a therapeutic posture in the style of Jesus the healer. In all your work and interactions, you take the role of healer. Finally, you stay awake and don’t fall into the unconsciousness of the age. You also help others wake up to a thoughtful life imagined in fresh, original, and convivial ways…. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the gift of prudence from the Spirit to move gently and compassionately in our support of people who are suffering in body, mind and soul.
References
Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-11-2007
Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/6?4
Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?14
Psalms, PSALM 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/18?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Jesus: A Wisdom Teacher: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-a-wisdom-teacher-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Nothing Will Be Impossible to You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=aug9
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