+ We have amazingly timely and non-coincidental readings today
at mass. The first reading shows us the famous and classic “Jacob’s
Ladder Dream.” Jacob was chosen by God to be a vital and essential link in the
“chain of believers in the one God,” His grandfather Abraham was the first to
believe in God as we know him, as he has revealed himself to us. He received
from his father Isaac, what he is now commissioned to hand on to generations of
future believers – who would be innumerable, yet each unique, yet each thought
of before the ages by God the Father / Creator.
What Jacob has to hand on is
the assurance of a real connection between mankind and God – a “ladder” whose
rungs are acts of faith, acts of trust, act of love and service to others.”
This concept, this dynamic is what connects us, this day, to the reality of
prayer / work / study / action that God intends for us by his willing it.
We are to “light world” by our
personal witness to the vision of Jacob, the trust of Isaac, and the faith of
Abraham.
In the gospel passage Jesus
does what he does – restores life to a young girl – in a human scene filled
with to this point false assumptions and prejudices. The biggest error of the
times was to think that sickness and death was a punishment from God. This is
not the case. Sickness is sickness, and death is natural – but the baseline
reality here is that God has control over everything and that altering states
of disease and death is an easy thing for him to do – as he does it –
oftentimes – but with the cost of an act of trust, of faith, of hope, of love
for the person.
All these requirements were
met and so Jesus – in his own sometimes brusque way shouts out: STOP
EVERYTHING! STOP THE DIN! STOP THE REHEARSED MACHINATIONS: “she is not dead” –
“she is not being punished, nor are her parents” “she is quite alive now, stand
up little girl” – AND SHE STANDS UP! And all begin now to praise God.
Today God will use us, to wake
people up, some from a dis-ease of sorts, some from death-of-sorts – and he
working through us can even use a brusque mannerism to accomplish his task –
but always with a heart overflowing with charity, always with love in the eyes!
Let us be vessels of joy
today, brother, coming from tuning in to God’s dynamic word and being fed by
his real and living Presence eucharistically!
Amen.
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