Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - Wednesday in the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 21:5, 8-20a and Matt 8:28-34,1003]I failed to send this properly yesterday. It's one of the hazards of being on the road. RB Begin forwarded message: From: rbwillop@aol.com Date: July 4, 2017 at 6:20:11 AM WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017. WEDNESDAY IN THE THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [Genesis 21:5, 8-20a and Matthew 8:28-34] "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" The evangelist, Matthew, seems to have a checklist of things for Jesus to do. First, a leper is cleansed and Simon's mother-in-law is healed. These were done in person. Then the centurion's servant is healed from a distance. Then the storm is calmed. Today we learn that Jesus has power over demons. Interestingly, the demons recognize what the disciples are only beginning to realize: who Jesus really is! They address Jesus as "Son of God." There are some more healings to come in the days ahead. Jesus' credentials are being well-established. What is at work in all of this is the power of God and the power of faith. How these work together remains a mystery because our standards of what "works" is not necessarily the divine standard. Sometimes very faithful people are not healed or other prayers do not seem to be heard. A miracle is, by definition, not the ordinary thing and again by definition not explainable scientifically. Faith and the power of God work together but the results ordinarily come from a continual relationship over a long period of time. The miraculous moment remains exactly that - a moment. AMEN