Tuesday of the
Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
(Judges 6:11-24a; Matthew 19:23-30)
The casual talk between Gideon and the angel sounds
something like “Saturday Night Live.” When
the angel assures Gideon that the Lord stands with His people, Gideon retorts
cynically. “If the Lord is with us,” he
asks, “then why has all this (humiliation) happened to us?” The answer to the query, however, should be
obvious to Gideon. The reason for the
lack of Israelite success against the Midianites is their infidelity to their
Covenant with God. Compromising their
integrity as a people, they become easy prey to enemies.
Gideon may be talking flippantly because he is not sure whether
the stranger before him is really the Lord.
He asks for a sign which is soon given when fire consumes Gideon’s
sacrificial offering. Knowing that he is
in the Lord’s presence, Gideon begins to wonder if he will suffer for his impertinence. However, God assures him not to worry.
We should not hesitate to open our hearts to God in prayer
like Gideon. But humility is called for
in such awesome company. God is, after
all, our Creator and not our buddy. He
befriends us out of love but does not share our tendencies to complain and
gossip. We should speak with Him as with
a revered professor who has deigned to give us his time. That is, we are wise to be attentive to His correction
and appreciative of His encouragement.
