Reading 1
Mi 2:1-5
Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.
On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
"Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!"
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the LORD.
Gospel
Mt 12:14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
Meditation: Matthew 12:14-21
“The Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death.” (Matthew 12:14)
There’s a sense of foreboding in today’s readings, as if dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. The prophet Micah predicts a “time of evil” for the people of Israel (Micah 2:3). And after seeing Jesus heal a man on the Sabbath, some Pharisees begin talking about how to get him killed (Matthew 12:14).
It’s a good thing we know how the story ends. Micah prophesies later that the Messiah will come and “shepherd his flock” (Micah 5:3). And Matthew tells us that all this, even the Pharisees’ plotting, was part of God’s grand plan of salvation (Matthew 12:20).
We too are living in days of uncertainty, and many of us can feel as if dark clouds are gathering. We may feel that a culture of life is giving way to a culture of death. We may be experiencing financial difficulties, failing health, or wounded relationships. Sometimes, just reading the newspaper can leave us unsettled or anxious.
And yet for Christians, this is the reality: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Jesus is the light, and through him, sin and death have already been defeated. Because God has already won the victory, we can be victorious as well. Do you believe this? Remember: The paradox of the cross is that victories can look like defeats. Those watching Jesus dying on the cross certainly would have had difficulty believing that he had just saved the world!
We need to cling to hope at all times, and especially when things seem darkest. We need to learn how to stand firmly on the truth of our faith. God is on our side. He will never abandon us. He is always with us!
If you find yourself lacking in hope, ask God to give you more. You may as well get as much as you can now, when you need it. It won’t be of much use to you in heaven. After all, that’s where all of our hopes and dreams will be fulfilled. So ask now, and your generous Father will pour it out!
“Jesus, you are the light of the world. Fill me with such hope that I never doubt your power and presence, even in the darkness. Jesus, I trust in you.”
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