Daily Reflection for Monday, July 06, 2020
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070620.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22
Responsorial: Psalm 145:2-9
Gospel: Matthew 9:18-26
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
“Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” Matthew 9:22
I have believed in God for as long as I can remember. There has never been a time of doubt or uncertainty in my mind, in my heart, that He is with me. Friends and loved ones ask, “How do you know He is real?” It is a question with no satisfying answer. I know. Not knowing is as impossible for me as believing is for others.
However, today’s gospel presented me with an unexpected challenge—miracles. After his daughter died, a church leader asked Jesus to lay a hand on her so she would live. A woman who suffered hemorrhages for 12 years touched the fringe of Christ’s cloak and knew she would be healed. I thought my faith was strong, but I have never prayed for a miracle.
If one of my children died, I would pray for comfort and strength. I would ask God to carry me through my grief and eventually to find peace with the soul-piercing loss, but I would not ask for a miracle resurrection.
If I suffered life-threatening illnesses for more than a decade, I would resign myself to the situation. I would accept that God wanted me to bear the suffering, and I’d pray that I could bear it with dignity. I would not have the faith and courage to touch Jesus and ask to be healed.
I don’t want to be part of the crowd ridiculing the faithful. I believe in miracles, but I’ve always resisted praying for them. I avoid them as a form of self-preservation, arguing that if I prayerfully prepare myself for the worst, I might not be as devastated if a miracle doesn’t occur. Other times, I’ve felt unworthy of pleading with God for things to be better when I should focus on being grateful for the goodness in my life.
Perhaps months spent at home in fear and uncertainty have made me acutely aware of the need for miracles. Humbly, I am learning to pray for one.
Let’s pray together for miracles. Help us to recognize miracles that have occurred and to keep our hearts open to crying out to God, even when we feel unworthy or unable to do so.
May God’s Peace Be With You,
Trina Wurst