Fourteenth Week of the Year

Monday of the Fourteenth Week (Matthew 9:18-26) During the course of the day we probably say thousands of words and listen to as many if not more. Words are the means of expressing oneself and how inadequate they are at times. To get beyond the medium and get to the message is one of the things we are asked to do. It is the heart of people that is important and sometimes that heart is hidden under an inadequate vocabulary, defensiveness , or even fear. If we stop at the obvious we often miss the person. Listen to hearts and not words, to what is being said and not only to what is being “talked”.

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week (Matthew 9:32-38) God has gifted everyone in a special way. Of course, these gifts are times misused, unused or even malused. To thank God for the gifts He has given me is easy. To thank God for the gifts He has given to other people is a little more difficult. The gifts of other people may be challenges to us, they may be intimidating they may even give birth to the demons of envy and jealously. God is the source of all beauty, goodness and every time we see them we should say “thank you”.

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week (Matthew 10:1-7) We follow the Lord and in doing so we make Him present to the world in which we live. An identity takes place through faith and Baptism. This identity is so deep that we can truly say that we are wrapped up in the very mystery of the Lord. We become Easter to people with whom we come into contact. We are the call to turn to God and to receive His love. This identity makes us givers much more than receivers.

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week (Matthew 10:7-15) Gifts are a twofold aspect. They are for the good of the person who receives. They are useful, or maybe just bring joy into some ones heart. If it is a real gift it is a sign of love. Any real gift also has the obligation to share. No gift should be given just for the good of the person who receives, it has a much wider meaning. The blessings which God has given us are not only for ourselves. The greatest blessing is ourselves, the person who I am. To share this, “silver and gold I have not, but what I have I give you”.

Friday of the Fourteenth Week (Matthew 10:16-23) The Lord makes things the way they should be, we use the word reconciliation. To bring things back into order that God intended is a work which never ends. There is always the darkness of sin which disrupts God’s creation. There i in our hearts as beacons along the road. The danger is to choose other teachers, to pick up a different set of eyeglasses. The question will always be: what teacher do I listen to?

Saturday of the Fourteenth Week (Matthew 10:24-33) The abiding presence of the Lord in our lives is not passive. He is a teacher, and many times we fail to see this part of relationship with Him. He is the teacher who never stops. In school we had teachers, and then we moved on to others being thankful and building on what we learned from the previous teachers. The Lord is always present. He helps us to see life through the glasses of God. His words are