Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
It might sound like Matthew used a backpack full of audio-visual equipment to record and document the movements of Jesus in today’s Gospel. We know that was not the case. The Gospels captured the treasured oral stories preserving the memories and teachings of Jesus to written form some ninety years after He died. We believe, as the Church teaches, that the Holy Spirit inspired the work of compiling those memories to ensure that the impact of what Jesus said and did would indeed persevere and thrive through the passage of time.
Our challenge is to respond to the meaning of the Gospel Good News in the reality of our present experience. The retelling of the Gospel—the who, what, when, and how—could qualify for an interesting story on the nightly news on a superficial level. Or it can be a burning touch of the Holy Spirit challenging us in the way we treasure and respond to the gift of faith. This gift of faith is meant to be alive and growing. It is not a mere mental construct, a set of physical gestures, or routine formulas, all of which could be saved for an assigned place and moment.
We are all in the same boat, all the time. The Lord, whom we think we know is approaching us from morning and yes, even throughout the night, in times of storm or calm. Can we name the combination of fear and fascination that compels us to leave the safety of the boat to move closer toward the Lord? This is the Gospel in real time. If we are ready.
Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections