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/ 

Restoring Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate our experience of Jesus’ support for our grief and our vision of faith in new life.

Restoration of Life

The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel presents the Vision of the Dry Bones.

* [37:1–14] This account is a figurative description of God’s creation of a new Israel. Even though that creation begins with the remains of the old Israel, the exiles under the image of dry bones, depicting a totally hopeless situation, the new Israel is radically different: it is an ideal people, shaped by God’s spirit to live the covenant faithfully, something the old Israel, exiles included, were unable to do. While this passage in its present context is not about the doctrine of individual or communal resurrection, many Jewish and Christian commentators suggest that the doctrine is foreshadowed here. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 130 is the De profundis used in liturgical prayers for the faithful departed.

* [Psalm 130] This lament, a Penitential Psalm, is the De profundis used in liturgical prayers for the faithful departed. In deep sorrow the psalmist cries to God (Ps 130:1–2), asking for mercy (Ps 130:3–4). The psalmist’s trust (Ps 130:5–6) becomes a model for the people (Ps 130:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 130 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans contrasts the Flesh and 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 John presents Jesus Raising of Lazarus.

* [11:1–44] The raising of Lazarus, the longest continuous narrative in John outside of the passion account, is the climax of the signs. It leads directly to the decision of the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus. The theme of life predominates. Lazarus is a token of the real life that Jesus dead and raised will give to all who believe in him. Johannine irony is found in the fact that Jesus’ gift of life leads to his own death. The story is not found in the synoptics, but cf. Mk 5:21 and parallels; Lk 7:11–17. There are also parallels between this story and Luke’s parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Lk 16:19–31). In both a man named Lazarus dies; in Luke, there is a request that he return to convince his contemporaries of the need for faith and repentance, while in John, Lazarus does return and some believe but others do not.

* [11:4] Not to end in death: this is misunderstood by the disciples as referring to physical death, but it is meant as spiritual death.

* [11:10] The light is not in him: the ancients apparently did not grasp clearly the entry of light through the eye; they seem to have thought of it as being in the eye; cf. Lk 11:34; Mt 6:23.

* [11:16] Called Didymus: Didymus is the Greek word for twin. Thomas is derived from the Aramaic word for twin; in an ancient Syriac version and in the Gospel of Thomas (80:11–12) his given name, Judas, is supplied.

* [11:18] About two miles: literally, “about fifteen stades”; a stade was 607 feet.

* [11:27] The titles here are a summary of titles given to Jesus earlier in the gospel.

* [11:33] Became perturbed: a startling phrase in Greek, literally, “He snorted in spirit,” perhaps in anger at the presence of evil (death).

* [11:41] Father: in Aramaic, “abba”. See note on Mk 14:36.

* [11:43] Cried out in a loud voice: a dramatization of Jn 5:28; “the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice.” (John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Gladyce Janky shares the recent passing of a long-time close friend and a heightened sensitivity to the suffering of Martha and Mary.

When Martha meets Jesus, she affirms her faith despite being tested by grief. He does not dismiss her pain, but joins her, demonstrating that faith and sorrow do coexist. His actions reveal his unwavering compassion for all human suffering. His response, I am the resurrection and the life, challenges Martha and me to look beyond physical death to the hope of eternal life with God. It is comforting and demanding, calling me to live in the tension of life and death, joy and suffering. A stance that embraces life in all of its fullness.

The resurrection is not just a future hope; it is standing before Martha in the person of Jesus. Calling Lazarus to come out of the tomb demonstrates his authority over death. As Lazarus comes out of the tomb, covered in bandages, Jesus’ command to unbind him and let him go is a powerful symbol of the unbinding of humanity from fear. He is the One who enters the places of suffering, breaking the bandages of slavery and creating life. (Janky, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes Cross and Resurrection, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Jesus' cross is an example of painful toil. His resurrection is the reward of painful toil. In the cross He showed us how we are to bear suffering. In His resurrection He showed us what we are to hope for." (excerpt from On the Creed 3,9) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Ezekiel speaks about the afterlife with the image of bones strewn over the ground indicating that resurrection of the dead is meant to be of the people who have died. The Zoroastrian burial practice reflects a similar to Christian understanding of the fate of the dead. Paul contrasts the spirit and the flesh or the contrast between concupiscence and living in the Spirit The reanimation of Lazarus is the third Gospel from John this Lent. Jesus stays rather than rushing and He describes Lazarus as asleep but he has been dead for four days and understood to be irresistibly dead by Jewish tradition. Both Mary and Martha declare If Jesus could have been there he would not have died. Disappointment and faith often go together in our life challenges when we need help. Jesus proclaims “I am the resurrection and the life” as an example of realized eschatology in the Gospel of John. Jesus' anger is possibly at death which has robbed Him of a friend.  Remove the stone to reveal both love and life is symbolic of the situation in our lives. The prayer to the Father is to indicate His mission to do the will of the Father. Jesus' command to  “Untie Him” resonates with how Jesus unbinds us in life from what holds us in death. Friar Jude explains that Lazarus is re-animinated as opposed to resurrected because one day he will die again.

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 11:1-45 comments that today’s Gospel shows us that when the Lord’s ways are confusing, he always has us on his heart and mind. He hears our prayers and has a plan for our lives even when we can’t envision it.

Martha came to believe that Jesus had the power to raise the dead and that his plans were higher than hers. Even though he hadn’t healed her brother, she still trusted him. So when you are in a place of waiting or disappointment, you can bring your pain to Jesus. You can allow him to reassure you that he is your loving Savior. He will strengthen your faith and hope. He will help you see his goodness in this life and, even more, in the life to come.

Always remember that Jesus hears your prayers. He will never, ever forsake you.

“Lord, I put my trust in you!” (Meditation on John 11:1-45, n.d.)

CAC faculty member Brian McLaren offers a brief history of the Babylonian exile, a defining crisis in the biblical story. About 800 BCE the Israelites and Judeans had already survived so much. In addition to all the trouble within their respective borders—much of it caused by corrupt leaders—even bigger trouble was brewing outside. In 722 BCE, the Assyrians invaded and deported many of the Israelites into Assyria. Finally, around 587 BCE, Judah was conquered by the Babylonians. Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. The nation’s “brightest and best” were deported as exiles to the Babylonian capital. 

How should they interpret their plight? Some feared that God had failed or abandoned them. Others blamed themselves for displeasing God in some way. Those who felt abandoned by God expressed their devastation in heart-rending poetry. Those who felt they had displeased God tried to identify their offenses, assign blame, and call for repentance. It was during this devastating period of exile and return that much of the oral tradition known to Christians as the Old Testament was either written down for the first time, or reedited and compiled. No wonder, arising in such times of turmoil and tumult, the Bible is such a dynamic collection! [1]

Psalm 42 expresses the pain of exile:

I say to God, my rock,

    “Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I walk about mournfully

    because the enemy oppresses me?”

As with a deadly wound in my body,

    my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me continually,

    “Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,

    my help and my God. (Psalm 42:10–11) (McLaren, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to inform our reflection on the co-existence of disappointment and faith in our life journey as blessed siblings of Jesus.

References

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/37?12 

Janky, G. (2026, March 22). Daily Reflection March 22, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-22-2026 

John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/11?1 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. A People in Exile. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-people-in-exile/ 

Meditation on John 11:1-45. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/22/1522747/ 

Psalms, PSALM 130 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/130?1 

Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?8 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Am the Resurrection and the Life. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 22, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/