Pritam Dangwar csc –
Readings: Hos 2: 14,15cd-16,19-20; Mt 9: 18-26
Today’s readings speak about the restoration of Israel as God’s beloved.
In this reading, God brings the Israelites to the desert to make them realize how much he cares for, loves, and is concerned for them. God withdraws the people of Israel to the desert not to punish them but to bring them to the awareness that the desert is not a place of permanent withdrawal; rather, it is an ideal place to seek God and to re-establish contact with him. We know that the Israelites became fond of Baals, so God used the term divorce and allured them to fall for the one true God, Yahweh. It was to discipline the Israelites to return to him.
In the gospel reading, the theme continues with the restoration of the lives of two women. In the first case, a father approaches Jesus to heal his daughter, and in the second instance, a woman takes the initiative to touch the fringe of his garments so that she may be cured of her disease.
Today, this beautiful gospel passage of healing reminds us of our helplessness before God. It calls us to rebuild our relationship with him because, in him, there is fullness of life, power, and joy.
Today, you and I need to draw close to him to be saved. Many times, we may drift away from the presence of God, like the Israelites, due to our selfishness and our own agendas, but God gives us a chance to come back to him because he loves us.