Tuesday of the
Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Matthew 9:32-38; Hosea
8:4-7.11-13)
Today’s gospel passage
represents a bridge from the first to the second of five sections making up the
body of Matthew’s Gospel. In the first
section Jesus delivers his great Sermon on the Mount and begins his ministry of
healing and exorcising. The reading tells
of an exorcism and then summarizes Jesus’ work.
The second section begins
by noting Jesus’ compassion. He responds to the people’s need for pastoral guidance
by drawing his disciples’ attention to it.
But rather than immediately sending them out to minister, he asks them
to pray to God. All pastoral ministry
should begin by petitioning the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will soon give his
“apostolic discourse” instructing his disciples on how to proclaim the gospel.
It is often said that the gospels are not
biographies of Jesus. Rather they were
presentations of events in his life that show why early Christians believed in
him as Lord. Their writers were skilled
theologians and dramatists who were utterly convinced that Jesus saves believers
from their sins. They give us additional
reason to move beyond our doubts and to follow Jesus with all our hearts.
