MATTHEW
CHAPTER
9
1. And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 1)
Oh Jesus you are so humble! Although You love us so much You do not force yourself upon us. You give us the opportunity either to believe in You or to choose the ways of the world. Instead of showing resistance or trying to use some form of persuasion You humbly obeyed the request of the people of Gadarene and went back to Your boat and headed for home. I pray oh God that You spare me from the moment of ever closing the doors of my heart to You in rejection. These people and others like them surely are not aware of whom they are rejecting. Even today many are choosing the ways of darkness instead of the ways of light. I pray for such people so that one day Your light will penetrate the darkness of their life and they will make an in depth experience of You and Your love to them as much and more than I have personally experienced to this very day.
2. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 2)
Jesus you always amaze me! Your ways are so different from my ways. On seeing the paralytic You did not command the illness to leave, but You referred to the forgiveness of the persons sins. It is as if sickness is directly related to sin. However You are aware, that sin is far greater of a harm than physical illness. Moreover purity and sin do not mingle together. In order to physically heal us, Jesus needs to give us spiritual healing. This explains at times why we do not heal from long term illness. The problem is not with God but with us. If we decide to remain in our sinful ways, we can never receive Your healing, because our sins block the healing power of Jesus. In light of verse 2 from the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew I invite you to click on the following link:-
Relation of sin to illness
3. Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."4. But Jesus perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5. For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven, 'or to say, 'Stand up and walk'?.6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he then said to the paralytic-"Stand up, take your bed and go to your home,".7 And he stood up and went to his home.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 3 to 7)
Our world has become a one of contrasts, belief versus unbelief. As in the case of the scribes at times we also do not understand Your ways, forgiveness and healing powers. We try to find a reason in order to make sense of situations but we do not always find an answer because our human intellect is limited. Therefore we end up raising questions and judge both You and Your Holy Word. Instead of letting You and Your Word judge us. However in order to protect us from losing our faith You still perform miracles in our lives in order to prove to us that You are the first and all the causes of our lives and that all is under your control.
In order to view the scenario that Jesus found himself in please click on the following link.
Jesus heals paralytic
8. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 8)
We can also be filled with awe my Jesus by seeing you simply as a healer or a magician, however when viewing You in this distorted way we see You only as a means to satisfy our ends, and not as a loving father as in truth You really are. Although they glorified You, oh Jesus they only saw You as a human being and not as the Son of God..
9. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 9)
On reflecting we all can go back and remember that precious peak moment in our lives when You oh Jesus made a strong impact on our lives by attracting our attention so that our hearts may be drawn to You. Oh Jesus You have a particular way that You apply differently with each and every one of us. I would like to share my own experience of one of the peak moments of my life that were so strong that it changed my life forever. I do not mean that I am not a sinner any more, but that my relationship with You oh Jesus became more personal and intimate. Oh Jesus You call us every day, however as in the case of the drug addict who starts experimenting with hard drugs and who never forgets the first time he or she induced the drug the same applies to that sacred moment when You manifest Yourself to us.
When I was in my youth I had been brought up on sound Christian values, I was taught how to pray, and was also given ample knowledge of who You were oh Jesus, however this was never enough to satisfy my thoughts. I wanted more. When I was 17 and a half I joined a group of people who also wished to know You better. During the first week I was taught about Abraham. When I went home that evening I kept on thinking about this person and how nice it would had been to have a strong relationship with You. During the night I felt a strong breeze in the room however I did not have a fan switched on. I had a vision of the sacred heart of Jesus on my left side and the sacred heart of Your mother Mary on my right. I heard a strong authoritative voice commanding me to leave all I had in order to follow Him.
On waking up I felt that You wanted me to join the priesthood or religious life. I felt my heart was going to burst in two. The dream was a trauma that left its mark to this very day. I spent two years in a convent and was about to start my novitiate as an Augustinian Friar. However You did not want me to give my life to You according to this way of life. During that same week that I had to submit my application I had an accident and ended up with a concussion that left me semi conscious in a dark room. The bump on the head or the whole circumstances made me aware that although I had left my family and my belongings I had become richer than I was before. I was far better than I was at home. On having opened my bible and meditated on the issue you showed me that this was not what You meant when You told me to leave all I had so I decided to leave the convent. On leaving the convent I was still wondering what Your call could have meant. On seeking the counsel of a friar in the convent I made contact with a community of brothers of Mother Theresa in Noto Sicily and planned to spend a month there in order to see if You wanted me to live a life of poverty in this community. You were with me all the time.
On arriving at Sicily the person who was to meet me never appeared at the meeting place. To make matters worse my Italian was terrible so I had a problem in communicating with the locals. I did not know where I actually was and where I was to go. I lifted up my eyes to You my God and prayed for Your help. I decided on praying that if I did not find the way till 12.00 am I would find my way back to the ferry and get the first ship for Malta. In the vicinity there was a vegetable vendor and in broken Italian I asked the customers if they knew where the convent of the brothers of Mother Theresa in Noto was but nobody answered me, (Probably nobody understood me). To make a long story short as I walked away with a heavy heart and luggage case I heard footsteps following me and a couple offered to take me to the convent. In good faith I accepted the invitation and about an hour and a half of travelling we arrived at the convent. After having spent a month in Sicily the vocation promoter told me that I was not strong enough to endure the harsh conditions that the brothers experienced. With a heavy heart I headed back for Malta.
On praying You showed me that the married life was a possible option. I told God that I would only marry a woman who would lead me to him. He found me a woman who took her spiritual life seriously and we got married. Today I realize that my call is to leave my past that had scarred me so much and start a new life walking in the ways of God. This blog is the fruit of that call. My new call is that of sharing my prayers online and spreading the Word of God. The other part of my call is that of being a good husband and father to my seven year old daughter and being an instrument in God's hands to whom I pledge full obedience love and respect.
10. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 10)
Oh Jesus what a lesson You give us. You do not wait for us sinners to come to You. On the contrary You come to us in order to save us. If we want to catch fish we go to the areas where there is a high possibility of catching fish. Thanks Jesus for humbling yourself and venturing into areas that may have been considered as negative by others in order to save us. I pray that You give me the strength and courage to work with people of different walks of life in order to be of service to others.
11. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 11)
At times we do good acts to others as in Your case oh Jesus, however we are misunderstood. We might help others who may have a strong bias on their heads such as illegal immigrants, or people having a negative reputation, and because of our help we may be judged by others and spoken negatively of. However You never stopped doing good acts and was never discouraged by the opposition made by others and neither should we.
12. But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. ' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 12 to 13)
As a sinner oh Jesus I am greatly in need of You. Throughout my life as a physician You have cured me of 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome' a condition that is considered as being non curable, as a counselor or psychologist you are still treating me in order to help me fully recover from all my past hurts from people who have and at times are still hurting me. You are every thing to me. This is why I love You so much because I have received alot from You and You are still loving and caring for me.
14. Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?"
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 14)
The difference between the God that the Pharisees and the disciples of John worshiped was the God of the old Testament, however the disciples of Jesus were in the presence of the Son of God who came to update the teachings and commandments of the Old Testament. At times as humans we tend to get stuck in our past, and even though we are exposed to something new, we still cannot accept the current times, because we may still be living in the past. Oh Jesus, there was a time when my hurts were so strong that they blocked me in experiencing You as a loving Father. Thanks for healing me of these hurts and offering me a better future as your loving son.
15. And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 15)
This verse explains why we fast only during the time of Easter, because during this time, we re-enact or celebrate the most important time of our Christian life, that is the binding stone of our faith, the death and resurrection of You oh Jesus! During the beginning of your ministry You are already referring to Your death. During our every life while we are still alive we are always to keep in mind that our home is not on earth but in heaven.
16. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloth, for the patch pulls away from the cloak and a worse tear is made. 17. Neither is new wine put into old wine skins, otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the wine is destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins and so both are preserved."
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 16 to 17)
Oh Jesus indeed You are the 'New Wine' and therefore one cannot stop and judge You or considered you only as being the God as portrayed in the 'Old Testament', although even during these times You were loving kind and merciful with Your people and also with us. However You came in order to update the teachings of the Old Testament and make the wine and the skins more refined and of better taste. Therefore the two 'Testaments' are to be viewed in their own individual contexts and are not to be used to contradict each other because as in the case of fruit, they are more appreciated during their harvesting season, however, Your fruit oh Jesus remains forever. Your Word both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are valid for all times, because the Holy Spirit enlightens my mind and that of others in order to unfold the message of the text which is then applied in my life and then shared with others as in the case of this blog and the ministry of the Church who preaches Your Word till the farthest regions of the earth, so that nobody can say that he or she has never heard of Your name.
18. While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying. "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 18)
Oh how beautiful are the people who believe in you oh Jesus. In humility they come before You and in faith they lay their prayers before you. In good faith the leader of the synagogue believed in Your healing power and even risked being thrown out of the synagogue administration in order to receive Your healing. On reflecting we can ask our selves if we are ready to take risks for You oh Father.
19. And Jesus got up and followed him with his disciples. 20. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21. for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well." 22. Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 19 to 22)
This is a situation oh Jesus that as humans we call a dilemma. On the one hand you have the priority of going to the house of the leader of the synagogue however, on the other hand comes this woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years and who had the courage to approach you and in faith touch the helm of your cloak. You acted on the here and now and chose the lady over the so called dead daughter who in her situation could wait for You the giver of life. This is a perfect lesson in decision making oh Jesus. Help me to always turn to You when making my decisions You are the perfect model.
23. When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24. he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. 25. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 23 to 26)
Oh Jesus how gentle and calm You are. You do not like commotion and disorder. Where there is Your presence there is no room for chaos and disorder. You make fun of the ways of the world especially death, because You have power over it and it is powerless against You. Thanks oh Jesus for being as You are, may I always refer to You in both the good times and the not so good times, for You are my only healer. In relation to my Irritable bowel Syndrome the world did not prove successful but You did and You healed me.
27. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David! 28. When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord" 29. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you." 30. And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, "See that no one knows of this." 31. But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 27 to 31)
On reflecting on Jesus I wonder whether the blind men where spiritually or physically blind. It seems that even You viewed them with an attitude of suspicion for You did not respond immediately to their request for healing. Another thing that makes me doubt their sincerity is the fact that You told them that their faith healed them. It is as in the case of the woman who had touched Your cloak. The healing power was sort of stolen of You in the sense that You did not give it freely. Oh Jesus may I never be misguided and interpret the dark as being light.
32. After they had gone away a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. 33. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said. "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel." 34. But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons."
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 32 to 34)
According to human logic, the Pharisees statement is correct and valid, however Your logic oh Jesus Son of God the Most High is totally different from human logic. It seems that when You started your public ministry all hell broke loose. Many people started harassing You from all angles with their issues. However You always catered for the genuine sinners and did not even deny Your healing powers to people such as the two blind men who one being healed did You more harm than good. Thanks oh Jesus for being so kind and generous to us sinners.
35. Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom; and curing every disease and every sickness.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 35)
Oh Jesus even to this very day You are still in the process of visiting persons, villages, countries and even nations. Anybody who is open to Your healing grace will receive Your healing. I pray oh Jesus that nobody will harden their hearts in Your presence and miss out on this great and healing opportunity. I pray that You will never stop giving us Your healing grace. In a spirit of prayer I invite you to join me in this prayer that is for me and for you who happen to be meditating on the Word of God. Please click on the following link:-
God's healing grace
36.When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38. therefore ask the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 36 to 38)
Oh Jesus thanks for having compassion for us humans. This is exactly our condition harassed by the evil one from all sides, however we have You and Your Church to guide us along the crooked pathways of life. Thanks for being our shepherd.
I pray in name of all Roman Catholics and even Christians of all churches to keep on sending shepherds that help us in keeping on track according to Your ways. I invite you to join me in the following prayer for vocations;-
Prayer for vocations
As Christians we all have a role to fulfill. On hearing the word 'Vocation' we may associate it with becoming a Priest, Friar or living in a community. However the connotations are much wider than we may possibly think. Wherever we may go, in what environment You oh God may be sending us, we have the opportunity of spreading Your Word and being fishers of people who on following our way of life based on Your Word and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and even the teachings of other Churches may make a U turn in one's life and experience Your love in their lives. We are all given the role of missionaries with the God given task of helping but not convincing others to change their ways. Although we may use many nice words and cite scriptures from both the New and Old Testaments the best way to transmit our faiths is to live according to what we believe so that others will see Jesus in us in a more concrete and credible way. Our way of life based on the Word of God and on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church is enough to set a good example even if we do not utter one word. The saying actions speak louder than words is very meaningful but Jesus told us that if we remained silent the stones could be given voices to spread Your Word. I pray oh Jesus that You keep on giving me insights to share in a spirit of prayer so that Your word will continue spreading throughout the World. Amen
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer.
Oh God we are living hard times. The enemy is attacking from all sides both inside Your Church and outside. Non believers are launching one attack after another. Christians are being beheaded for whom they believe. Cancer and other fatal conditions are on the increase. We are living a culture that is pro death instead of pro life. Please may Your light shine brighter so that it can penetrate more the darkness of our heart. Please send more vocations because if not our spiritual lives are at stake. Life without You is meaningless oh God. I would have no reason to live if You no longer had a place in my life. Thanks for being my God and my Father.
2. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 2)
Jesus you always amaze me! Your ways are so different from my ways. On seeing the paralytic You did not command the illness to leave, but You referred to the forgiveness of the persons sins. It is as if sickness is directly related to sin. However You are aware, that sin is far greater of a harm than physical illness. Moreover purity and sin do not mingle together. In order to physically heal us, Jesus needs to give us spiritual healing. This explains at times why we do not heal from long term illness. The problem is not with God but with us. If we decide to remain in our sinful ways, we can never receive Your healing, because our sins block the healing power of Jesus. In light of verse 2 from the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew I invite you to click on the following link:-
Relation of sin to illness
3. Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."4. But Jesus perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5. For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven, 'or to say, 'Stand up and walk'?.6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he then said to the paralytic-"Stand up, take your bed and go to your home,".7 And he stood up and went to his home.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 3 to 7)
Our world has become a one of contrasts, belief versus unbelief. As in the case of the scribes at times we also do not understand Your ways, forgiveness and healing powers. We try to find a reason in order to make sense of situations but we do not always find an answer because our human intellect is limited. Therefore we end up raising questions and judge both You and Your Holy Word. Instead of letting You and Your Word judge us. However in order to protect us from losing our faith You still perform miracles in our lives in order to prove to us that You are the first and all the causes of our lives and that all is under your control.
In order to view the scenario that Jesus found himself in please click on the following link.
Jesus heals paralytic
8. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 8)
We can also be filled with awe my Jesus by seeing you simply as a healer or a magician, however when viewing You in this distorted way we see You only as a means to satisfy our ends, and not as a loving father as in truth You really are. Although they glorified You, oh Jesus they only saw You as a human being and not as the Son of God..
9. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 9)
On reflecting we all can go back and remember that precious peak moment in our lives when You oh Jesus made a strong impact on our lives by attracting our attention so that our hearts may be drawn to You. Oh Jesus You have a particular way that You apply differently with each and every one of us. I would like to share my own experience of one of the peak moments of my life that were so strong that it changed my life forever. I do not mean that I am not a sinner any more, but that my relationship with You oh Jesus became more personal and intimate. Oh Jesus You call us every day, however as in the case of the drug addict who starts experimenting with hard drugs and who never forgets the first time he or she induced the drug the same applies to that sacred moment when You manifest Yourself to us.
When I was in my youth I had been brought up on sound Christian values, I was taught how to pray, and was also given ample knowledge of who You were oh Jesus, however this was never enough to satisfy my thoughts. I wanted more. When I was 17 and a half I joined a group of people who also wished to know You better. During the first week I was taught about Abraham. When I went home that evening I kept on thinking about this person and how nice it would had been to have a strong relationship with You. During the night I felt a strong breeze in the room however I did not have a fan switched on. I had a vision of the sacred heart of Jesus on my left side and the sacred heart of Your mother Mary on my right. I heard a strong authoritative voice commanding me to leave all I had in order to follow Him.
On waking up I felt that You wanted me to join the priesthood or religious life. I felt my heart was going to burst in two. The dream was a trauma that left its mark to this very day. I spent two years in a convent and was about to start my novitiate as an Augustinian Friar. However You did not want me to give my life to You according to this way of life. During that same week that I had to submit my application I had an accident and ended up with a concussion that left me semi conscious in a dark room. The bump on the head or the whole circumstances made me aware that although I had left my family and my belongings I had become richer than I was before. I was far better than I was at home. On having opened my bible and meditated on the issue you showed me that this was not what You meant when You told me to leave all I had so I decided to leave the convent. On leaving the convent I was still wondering what Your call could have meant. On seeking the counsel of a friar in the convent I made contact with a community of brothers of Mother Theresa in Noto Sicily and planned to spend a month there in order to see if You wanted me to live a life of poverty in this community. You were with me all the time.
On arriving at Sicily the person who was to meet me never appeared at the meeting place. To make matters worse my Italian was terrible so I had a problem in communicating with the locals. I did not know where I actually was and where I was to go. I lifted up my eyes to You my God and prayed for Your help. I decided on praying that if I did not find the way till 12.00 am I would find my way back to the ferry and get the first ship for Malta. In the vicinity there was a vegetable vendor and in broken Italian I asked the customers if they knew where the convent of the brothers of Mother Theresa in Noto was but nobody answered me, (Probably nobody understood me). To make a long story short as I walked away with a heavy heart and luggage case I heard footsteps following me and a couple offered to take me to the convent. In good faith I accepted the invitation and about an hour and a half of travelling we arrived at the convent. After having spent a month in Sicily the vocation promoter told me that I was not strong enough to endure the harsh conditions that the brothers experienced. With a heavy heart I headed back for Malta.
On praying You showed me that the married life was a possible option. I told God that I would only marry a woman who would lead me to him. He found me a woman who took her spiritual life seriously and we got married. Today I realize that my call is to leave my past that had scarred me so much and start a new life walking in the ways of God. This blog is the fruit of that call. My new call is that of sharing my prayers online and spreading the Word of God. The other part of my call is that of being a good husband and father to my seven year old daughter and being an instrument in God's hands to whom I pledge full obedience love and respect.
10. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 10)
Oh Jesus what a lesson You give us. You do not wait for us sinners to come to You. On the contrary You come to us in order to save us. If we want to catch fish we go to the areas where there is a high possibility of catching fish. Thanks Jesus for humbling yourself and venturing into areas that may have been considered as negative by others in order to save us. I pray that You give me the strength and courage to work with people of different walks of life in order to be of service to others.
11. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 11)
At times we do good acts to others as in Your case oh Jesus, however we are misunderstood. We might help others who may have a strong bias on their heads such as illegal immigrants, or people having a negative reputation, and because of our help we may be judged by others and spoken negatively of. However You never stopped doing good acts and was never discouraged by the opposition made by others and neither should we.
12. But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. ' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 12 to 13)
As a sinner oh Jesus I am greatly in need of You. Throughout my life as a physician You have cured me of 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome' a condition that is considered as being non curable, as a counselor or psychologist you are still treating me in order to help me fully recover from all my past hurts from people who have and at times are still hurting me. You are every thing to me. This is why I love You so much because I have received alot from You and You are still loving and caring for me.
14. Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?"
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 14)
The difference between the God that the Pharisees and the disciples of John worshiped was the God of the old Testament, however the disciples of Jesus were in the presence of the Son of God who came to update the teachings and commandments of the Old Testament. At times as humans we tend to get stuck in our past, and even though we are exposed to something new, we still cannot accept the current times, because we may still be living in the past. Oh Jesus, there was a time when my hurts were so strong that they blocked me in experiencing You as a loving Father. Thanks for healing me of these hurts and offering me a better future as your loving son.
15. And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 15)
This verse explains why we fast only during the time of Easter, because during this time, we re-enact or celebrate the most important time of our Christian life, that is the binding stone of our faith, the death and resurrection of You oh Jesus! During the beginning of your ministry You are already referring to Your death. During our every life while we are still alive we are always to keep in mind that our home is not on earth but in heaven.
16. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloth, for the patch pulls away from the cloak and a worse tear is made. 17. Neither is new wine put into old wine skins, otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the wine is destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins and so both are preserved."
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 16 to 17)
Oh Jesus indeed You are the 'New Wine' and therefore one cannot stop and judge You or considered you only as being the God as portrayed in the 'Old Testament', although even during these times You were loving kind and merciful with Your people and also with us. However You came in order to update the teachings of the Old Testament and make the wine and the skins more refined and of better taste. Therefore the two 'Testaments' are to be viewed in their own individual contexts and are not to be used to contradict each other because as in the case of fruit, they are more appreciated during their harvesting season, however, Your fruit oh Jesus remains forever. Your Word both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are valid for all times, because the Holy Spirit enlightens my mind and that of others in order to unfold the message of the text which is then applied in my life and then shared with others as in the case of this blog and the ministry of the Church who preaches Your Word till the farthest regions of the earth, so that nobody can say that he or she has never heard of Your name.
18. While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying. "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 18)
Oh how beautiful are the people who believe in you oh Jesus. In humility they come before You and in faith they lay their prayers before you. In good faith the leader of the synagogue believed in Your healing power and even risked being thrown out of the synagogue administration in order to receive Your healing. On reflecting we can ask our selves if we are ready to take risks for You oh Father.
19. And Jesus got up and followed him with his disciples. 20. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21. for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well." 22. Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 19 to 22)
This is a situation oh Jesus that as humans we call a dilemma. On the one hand you have the priority of going to the house of the leader of the synagogue however, on the other hand comes this woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years and who had the courage to approach you and in faith touch the helm of your cloak. You acted on the here and now and chose the lady over the so called dead daughter who in her situation could wait for You the giver of life. This is a perfect lesson in decision making oh Jesus. Help me to always turn to You when making my decisions You are the perfect model.
23. When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24. he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. 25. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 23 to 26)
Oh Jesus how gentle and calm You are. You do not like commotion and disorder. Where there is Your presence there is no room for chaos and disorder. You make fun of the ways of the world especially death, because You have power over it and it is powerless against You. Thanks oh Jesus for being as You are, may I always refer to You in both the good times and the not so good times, for You are my only healer. In relation to my Irritable bowel Syndrome the world did not prove successful but You did and You healed me.
27. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David! 28. When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord" 29. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you." 30. And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, "See that no one knows of this." 31. But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 27 to 31)
On reflecting on Jesus I wonder whether the blind men where spiritually or physically blind. It seems that even You viewed them with an attitude of suspicion for You did not respond immediately to their request for healing. Another thing that makes me doubt their sincerity is the fact that You told them that their faith healed them. It is as in the case of the woman who had touched Your cloak. The healing power was sort of stolen of You in the sense that You did not give it freely. Oh Jesus may I never be misguided and interpret the dark as being light.
32. After they had gone away a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. 33. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said. "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel." 34. But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons."
(Matthew chapter 9 verses 32 to 34)
According to human logic, the Pharisees statement is correct and valid, however Your logic oh Jesus Son of God the Most High is totally different from human logic. It seems that when You started your public ministry all hell broke loose. Many people started harassing You from all angles with their issues. However You always catered for the genuine sinners and did not even deny Your healing powers to people such as the two blind men who one being healed did You more harm than good. Thanks oh Jesus for being so kind and generous to us sinners.
35. Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom; and curing every disease and every sickness.
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 35)
Oh Jesus even to this very day You are still in the process of visiting persons, villages, countries and even nations. Anybody who is open to Your healing grace will receive Your healing. I pray oh Jesus that nobody will harden their hearts in Your presence and miss out on this great and healing opportunity. I pray that You will never stop giving us Your healing grace. In a spirit of prayer I invite you to join me in this prayer that is for me and for you who happen to be meditating on the Word of God. Please click on the following link:-
God's healing grace
36.When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38. therefore ask the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest
(Matthew chapter 9 verse 36 to 38)
Oh Jesus thanks for having compassion for us humans. This is exactly our condition harassed by the evil one from all sides, however we have You and Your Church to guide us along the crooked pathways of life. Thanks for being our shepherd.
I pray in name of all Roman Catholics and even Christians of all churches to keep on sending shepherds that help us in keeping on track according to Your ways. I invite you to join me in the following prayer for vocations;-
Prayer for vocations
As Christians we all have a role to fulfill. On hearing the word 'Vocation' we may associate it with becoming a Priest, Friar or living in a community. However the connotations are much wider than we may possibly think. Wherever we may go, in what environment You oh God may be sending us, we have the opportunity of spreading Your Word and being fishers of people who on following our way of life based on Your Word and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and even the teachings of other Churches may make a U turn in one's life and experience Your love in their lives. We are all given the role of missionaries with the God given task of helping but not convincing others to change their ways. Although we may use many nice words and cite scriptures from both the New and Old Testaments the best way to transmit our faiths is to live according to what we believe so that others will see Jesus in us in a more concrete and credible way. Our way of life based on the Word of God and on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church is enough to set a good example even if we do not utter one word. The saying actions speak louder than words is very meaningful but Jesus told us that if we remained silent the stones could be given voices to spread Your Word. I pray oh Jesus that You keep on giving me insights to share in a spirit of prayer so that Your word will continue spreading throughout the World. Amen
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer.
Oh God we are living hard times. The enemy is attacking from all sides both inside Your Church and outside. Non believers are launching one attack after another. Christians are being beheaded for whom they believe. Cancer and other fatal conditions are on the increase. We are living a culture that is pro death instead of pro life. Please may Your light shine brighter so that it can penetrate more the darkness of our heart. Please send more vocations because if not our spiritual lives are at stake. Life without You is meaningless oh God. I would have no reason to live if You no longer had a place in my life. Thanks for being my God and my Father.
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