GOSPEL POWER l JULY 5, 2022 - TUESDAY

14th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 9:32-38 

32A demoniac who was mute was brought to Jesus. 33And 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.” 34But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons  he casts out the demons.” 35Then 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. 36When  he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were  harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said  to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  38therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his  harvest.” 

The reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus’ successful  exorcism is similar to what we call today “bullying.”  They assert their own superiority through verbal abuse  aimed at discrediting Jesus in the eyes of the crowds who witnessed  the powerful deed. In this Matthean version of the episode, Jesus  demonstrates that the most effective way to silence such bullies is  to ignore them. Secure in his identity and committed to his mission,  Jesus refuses to be lured into a petty quarrel that can distract him  from his more important concerns. Thus, he walks away without a  word to continue his mission. He has been sent into the world to  embody God’s compassion for his people, and nothing could deter  him from doing that. 

Lord Jesus, help us to have that single-hearted focus on the greater things of God, and thus shun pettiness. Amen.