Friday, 7 August 2026
Saturday, August 8, 2026 - On a scale of 1 to 10 where would you mark your faith? Why?
To read the texts click on the texts: Habakkuk 1:12 – 2:4; Mt 17:14-20
This
miracle story of the healing of an epileptic boy is found also in Mark
(9,14-29), but Matthew has shortened it considerably by omitting many of the
details found in Mark. This also results in a change in the focus of the story.
In Matthew, the exorcism proper is narrated so briefly that it is clear that
the exorcism is subordinated to the pronouncement on faith. The inability of
the disciples to exorcise is because of their little faith. The father of the
boy addresses Jesus as “Lord” which is an indication that he is a believer and
thus Matthew omits the dialogue between the father and Jesus in Mark 9,21-24,
where the father expresses doubt in Jesus’ ability to cure his child.
Each
of us has been given the power to heal and make whole. We can do this by a kind
word or a loving gesture. However, on the one hand we are not convinced that we
possess this power and so are loathe to use it, and on the other hand we think
that a miracle is only something extra-ordinary or stupendous, and so we are
not capable of it.
Thursday, 6 August 2026
Friday, August 7, 2026 - “Your money or your life.” “You better take my life; I will need my money for my old age.”
To read the texts click on the texts: Nahum 2:1,3; 3:1-3,6-7; Mt 16:24-28
In
Matthew, the sayings that form our text for today are addressed exclusively to
the disciples unlike in Mark where they are addressed to the crowds. A disciple
must be prepared to follow the Master and even to the cross if need be. This is
the consequence of confessing Jesus as the Christ. The Son of Man has to
suffer, but will also be vindicated by God. The pronouncement “some standing
here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his
kingdom” (16,28) has been variously interpreted. Some think it refers to the
event of the Transfiguration, others think it refers to the Resurrection and
still others that it refers to Pentecost. However, it seems that Matthew’s
community expected that the Parousia (the second coming of the Lord) would come
soon, indeed before the death of some who belonged to the community, and so
there are some who think that this pronouncement refers to the Second coming of
the Lord.
Denial
of self means to count the self as nothing. While this sounds nice to hear and
sing in hymns, it requires grace from God if it is to be into practice. Jesus
had to constantly overcome this temptation himself and challenges each of us
through his words but also through the example that he gave on the cross.
Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Thursday, August 6, 2026 - The Transfiguration of the Lord - If you were on the mountain with Peter, James and John, how would you respond?
To read the texts click on the texts: Dn 7:9-10,13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Mt 17:1-9
The
Transfiguration of Jesus is an event narrated by all three Synoptic Gospels.
This scene in Matthew makes three major points. The first is the revelation of
who Jesus is; the second is the foreshadowing of his death, resurrection, and
exaltation into heaven; the third is the training of the disciples, and each of
us, about the meaning of the whole Christ event.
Peter,
James and John realized on the mountain that they were dealing with a reality
that reached beyond human experience. They were dealing here, not merely with a
social reformer or a political visionary; they were dealing with a man who had
a unique relationship with God. The intensity of that relation was obvious to
all on the mountain.
However,
not only were they permitted to experience a new dimension of Jesus, but they
also hear a voice from heaven that applies that dimension to them: "This
is my chosen Son; listen to Him." The implication is that anyone who forms
a relationship with God's Son will one day share in the transfiguration of
God's Son. The good news is good news for the whole human race, not reserved
for the elite few. So the apostles had to come down from the mountain with
Jesus. As much as they may have wanted, they could not stay there.
The
Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain confirms that Jesus was in the
presence of God. It also serves to clarify that Jesus is, indeed, God’s Son.
While Moses and Elijah, who appear with Jesus on the mountain, might represent
the Law and the Prophets, they are also mentioned because of the actions they
performed. Like Moses, who parted the sea on the command of God, and who fed
the multitude in the desert with manna from heaven, Jesus calms the storm and
feeds the five thousand with bread. Like Elijah, who multiplied loaves,
cleansed a leper, and raised the dead, Jesus does the same, and even more. Only in Luke are we given the content of the
discussion that Moses and Elijah have with Jesus. They are discussing his exodus
from this world to the next. They are discussing his departure.
Though
Peter and his companions, John and James, witness the event, they do not know
what to make of it. Peter, however,
wants to remain there and commemorate the place. He wants to remain in the
past. Jesus knows that he cannot remain on the mountain, tempting as that might
be. He knows what he has to do and he
will let no one come in the way. He has
to come down and go to the Cross. That Jesus is, indeed, confirmed in this is
manifested by the voice from the clouds which, in words similar to those used
at the Baptism, affirms Jesus as Son and slave.
Jesus is both at the same time. He is Son of God and he is Suffering
Servant. He will, through his death,
bring salvation to all. He is the fulfilment of all the hopes, not only of
Israel but, of the whole world. He supersedes both Moses and Elijah. They are
no longer needed now that Jesus has come.
This
time, unlike at the time of the Baptism, the voice from the clouds adds,
“Listen to him”. This command endorses and confirms Jesus’ interpretation of
the future course of events that will take place in his life, namely, his
death, resurrection, and ascension. God approves of Jesus’ orientation and
wants the disciples to realise that this is the only way. Thus, they cannot
remain on the mountain. They cannot
freeze the event and stay there. They have to go down with Jesus and let him go
to where the Cross awaits him.
The
Transfiguration is an event which encapsulates the whole Christ event. It is
here that we see his entire life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension
unfold. It is a summary of what was, what is, and what will be. Thus, the
Transfiguration emphasizes that God has been revealed through Jesus and that
the essence of Jesus’ identity and work cannot be understood apart from the
cross and resurrection. Only in the light of the cross and resurrection do we
understand the character of God and the significance of Jesus.
The
Transfiguration also serves to emphasize that, though God will seem hidden at
the passion and death of Jesus, and though Jesus might seem defeated, things
are not as they seem. Rather, God is as present at the passion and death of
Jesus as he was at the Transfiguration. Jesus is as victorious in his passion
and death as he was in his Transfiguration.
The
readings of today teach us an all important lesson. There are times in our
lives when things do not go the way we plan, when all that we plan goes awry,
when the road seems steep and the going is difficult, when every step that we
take is laboured and arduous, when we cannot see or understand and, when we
feel like giving up and giving in. It is at times like these that we, like
Peter, wish we had stayed on the mountain. It is at times like these when we
might like some tangible proof, some sign. Yet, the Transfiguration of Jesus
teaches that God continues to walk ahead of us and, though we may not be able
to see him as clearly as we would like, God is there.
We
must be able, like Christ, to look beyond and not be weighed down by the trials
and tribulations of the world. It means that we must continue to have faith and
trust at all times since trials and tribulations are always temporary and
passing. What is permanent is God’s unconditional love, manifested in his Son,
Jesus Christ. Our confidence is not in our ability to overcome the challenges
that come our way, but in God’s grace that we constantly receive in, and
through, Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, 4 August 2026
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - “If at first you don’t succeed try again”. Do you often give in to despair? Will you keep on keeping on?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jer 31:1-7; Mt 15:21-28
The
story of the healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman is our text for
today. This story is found also in Mark 7,24-30, but Mark identifies the woman
as a Syrophoenician. Matthew’s mention of “Tyre and Sidon” (Mark has only Tyre)
and identifying the woman as a Canaanite result in an emphasis that Jesus has
entered Gentile territory. This is also emphasised by the fact that Matthew
does not have Jesus enter a house (like Mark does). In Matthew, Jesus does not
enter the houses of Gentiles. The woman still addresses him with the title that
only believers use in Matthew namely “Lord”. Despite an initial rejection, the
woman perseveres in her request and continues to address Jesus as Lord. Jesus’
direct response to the woman is harsh and must be interpreted as a rejection.
The analogy is indeed strong. However, the woman seems undeterred, and for the
third time addresses Jesus as Lord, and continues to plead her cause. Jesus
interprets such perseverance as “great faith”, and immediately heals the
woman’s daughter even from a distance.
The
woman shows not only perseverance and faith but also the ability not to let
words get her down. The harsh words of Jesus spoken not in jest or with a
twinkle in his eye (because nothing in the text warrants such an explanation)
would have resulted in a lesser person treating it as an affront. The woman
does not such thing. She knows what she wants and is determined to get it. She
knows that while sticks and stones may break her bones, words can never hurt
her.
Monday, 3 August 2026
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 - If you were in Peter’s place and were about to drown, what would you say to the Lord?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jer 30:1-2,12-15,18-22; Mt 14:22-36
The
text of today appears immediately after the miracle of the feeding of the five
thousand (14,13-21). For the first time in Matthew, the disciples are sent
forth without Jesus. This is also the first time in the Gospel of Matthew that
Jesus is depicted as praying. Many see the boat in which the disciples are is
by as representing the church and here it is battered by the waves. Despite the
seeming impossibility of Jesus being able to reach them, he comes to them in
the darkest part of the night i.e. between 3.00 and 6.00 a.m. By walking on the
water, Matthew is not portraying Jesus as defying the law of gravity, but
subduing the chaos of the waters. Jesus does what only God can do (Job 9,8;
38,16; Ps 77,19 etc), and announces himself as “I am” which is reminiscent of
the name God used to identify himself in Exodus 3,15. The second part of this
pericope in which Peter asks Jesus to allow him to come to him is exclusive to
Matthew. Peter addresses Jesus as believers do in Matthew by using the title
“Lord”. The point that Matthew seems to be making is not only that Peter took
his eyes off Jesus and so began to sink, but also that by leaving the boat, he
indicated that he wanted proof of the presence of Jesus. Peter cries out with a
prayer, “Lord, save me”, and Jesus reaches out and saves him. The gentle rebuke
identifies Peter as a person of “little faith” which in Matthew is a mixture of
courage on the one hand and anxiety on the other. It is a faith mixed with
doubts. The conclusion to this episode in Matthew is that the disciples worship
Jesus as Son of God. Jesus is then portrayed as the one who can make everyone
whole.
The
boat of our life is often swamped by waves. These can be marital discord,
addictions, problems with children and parents, disagreements with neighbours
and the like. When this happens, the Lord keeps coming to us, walking on the
water, subduing the chaos and confusion of our lives and telling us that he
continues to be Emmanu’el. If we continue to stay in the boat, he will lead us
safely to the shore. If we decide to leave the boat and go to him, then we need
to keep our fixed on him and not let the waves get us down.
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