Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time, July 5
We Have a God Who Has Promised that He Will Never Leave Us; He Will Always Be at Our Side.
Today, we read how Jacob was gifted with a wondrous dream, in which he hears God say to him, “I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.” – words which influenced and guided Jacob for the remainder of his life.
And they are also words which remind us of the promise our Lord has made to each of us, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” – words which give us hope, much as they did Jacob about four millennia ago (c. 4,000 years ago).
I would imagine that many of us are no stranger to suffering. And I am sure that most, if not all of us, would agree that this gift of life which we have been given is a most wondrous gift from a God who loves us beyond all understanding.
And even though life has its many ups and downs, its peaks along with its valleys, waking up in the morning and seeing another sunrise, enjoying another day with all our loved ones, hearing our spouse, our boyfriend or girlfriend, or our children or grandchildren say to us, “I love you” is a gift which we would never think of rejecting or denying.
Even for those things which are purely emotional or physical in nature – such as loving and being loved, eating our favorite foods, playing our favorite games, wearing clothes which help to make us feel or look good, or maybe something as simple as taking a leisurely Sunday stroll along the beach or boardwalk with family or friends – all those elements in life which are “good for the soul”, so to speak – they give us pleasure; they give us joy; they give us a feeling of tranquility, maybe even a sense of inner peace.
This life which we live is truly a marvelous and most wondrous gift from a God who only wishes the best for us! Yes, with health, there is also suffering. Yes, with joy and happiness, there is also sadness.
But there is a prayer in the 90th Psalm from the Old Testament, attributed to Moses, which addresses the passage of time in our lives, when we experience both the peaks and also the valleys during our time here on this side of Heaven.
In a more contemporary translation, the prayer is as follows: “In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Give us joy to balance our affliction for the years when we knew misfortune.”
And God is no stranger to our misfortunes. He is no stranger to our sufferings, for He, too, understands suffering intimately in the Person of Jesus Christ.
As our Creator, our Redeemer and our Sanctifier, the Triune God shares in both our joys when we feel elation and delight, and also in our sufferings, especially in those times during which we become absorbed in the emotional and physical pains and sorrows which life can sometimes bring to bear upon us.
God tells Jacob in our First Reading today, and since His words are timeless, He is also speaking to both you and me, “I will protect you wherever you go…I will never leave you…”
“I will never leave you…” – words of hope which uplift us when we find ourselves suffering in moments of despair or sorrow, words which support us, so that we may be strengthened during those times when we find ourselves at our weakest.
And if we open our hearts and believe all that God is promising us, then our lives, and the faith which you and I profess, echo the words of today’s Responsorial Antiphon, “In you, my God, I place my trust.”
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus shows us the compassionate and merciful Love which God has for His children. Even in today’s Reading, this very Love is made evident in the healing of the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, and in the raising to life of a young girl.
God never intended that His children should suffer, but, through sin – due to the weakness of our human nature – and also due to the “envy of the devil” as the Book of Wisdom tells us, death and suffering entered into the world, and continues for those who chose to face eternal perdition in the abode of Hell.
When the Eternal Word took flesh upon Himself and walked amongst us some two thousand years ago, our Lord knew that we would need help, so He gave us His Spirit and He also gave us Himself in the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, so that He may always be with us, so that He may nourish and feed us with His Eternal Love in a very real and tangible way.
And just as God promised Jacob, so He promises us today from the Altar of Sacrifice at Holy Mass, “I will never leave you…”
May we, with hearts opened to God’s gifts, always respond with a lively faith in the promises which God makes to each of us. May we always feel His Loving Presence at our side, in both good times and bad.
And may we never lose heart – even when we find ourselves walking through the deepest and darkest valley of our lives – for we have a God who is filled with limitless Mercy and indescribable goodness.
We have a God who has promised that He will NEVER leave us, for He will always be at our side! †
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Please Comment, Like and Share, and Suggest to your Facebook friends – to spread the message of God’s Merciful Love.
Por favor Comente, Le Gusta y Comparta, y Sugiera a tus amigos en Facebook – en difundir el mensaje del Misericordioso Amor de Dios.
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Scripture for the Day
- “Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go…I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.” (Genesis 28:15abd)
- “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)
- “Fill us at daybreak with your love, that all our days we may sing for joy. Make us glad as many days as you humbled us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.” (Psalm 90:14-15)
- “Say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” (Psalm 91:2)
- “For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it.” (Wisdom 2:23-24)
- “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
- “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, upon those who count on his mercy…May your mercy be upon us Lord, as we place our trust in you.” (Psalm 33:18, 22)
- “I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5c)
- “Cast all your worries upon [God] because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
- “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” (John 14:1)
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Prayer for the Day
“O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your Presence,
Your Love, and Your Strength.
“Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting Love and strengthening Power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us;
for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.”
Evangelization Apostolate of God's Divine Love and Mercy 