Reading 1
Am 7:10-17
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,
king of Israel:
“Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;
the country cannot endure all his words.
For this is what Amos says:
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land.”
To Amos, Amaziah said:
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Now hear the word of the LORD!”
You say: prophesy not against Israel,
preach not against the house of Isaac.
Now thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city,
and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by measuring line,
and you yourself shall die in an unclean land;
Israel shall be exiled far from its land.
Gospel
Mt 9:1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”—
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
Meditation: Matthew 9:1-8
They were struck with awe and glorified God. (Matthew 9:8)
Oswald Chambers, author of the bestselling book, My Utmost for His Highest, once wrote: “We should make a habit of having no habits!” This profound, and somewhat confusing, statement was prompted by the realization that even the best actions done repeatedly can become routine and lose their meaning.
Today’s Gospel passage gives us an insight into why Chambers would say this. Matthew tells us that, upon seeing Jesus heal and forgive the man lying on the stretcher, the people were “struck with awe” (Matthew 9:8). In an instant, they were lifted out of their mundane, everyday lives. Something new and wonderful had broken into their world and it amazed them. And not only that, it turned them to the Lord. Who knows? It’s possible that some of them even decided to follow Jesus that day.
What about you? Have you seen any miracles lately? Has something happened recently that struck you with awe? It may not seem so at first, but that opportunity presents itself every time you go to Mass. And yet, as Oswald Chambers observed, the simple act of attending Mass on a regular basis can lead to a kind of dullness. We hear the same words and see the same gestures over and over again, and this repetition can overshadow the breathtaking miracle that happens every time we celebrate these sacred mysteries.
Don’t let that happen! At every Mass, heaven comes down to earth. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, visits his people and feeds us with his own Bread of Life. The power of the cross—the power to save, to heal, to forgive, and to reconcile—is released, and we are all invited to receive its grace.
The next time you are at Mass, fix your heart on the heavenly realities that are unfolding before your eyes. Let yourself be in awe at what is happening. As you do, you’ll find Jesus coming into your heart and telling you: “Rise and walk” (Matthew 9:5).
“Jesus, I am amazed at the love and salvation that you pour out at every Mass!”
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