One of the bonuses of the holiday, in this case Independence Day, falling on a Friday, was the long weekend. This allowed people to connect and reconnect with family and friends and even meet some new folks along the way. Today's Mass readings represent two experiences of encountering God that most of us will experience in our lives, sometimes multiple times.
In the first, there is Jacob, who receives an important message in a dream that will strengthen his faith and guide him forward. And, in the Gospel, there is the official whose daughter is critically ill and the woman who has long suffered hemorrhages, who both place their full trust in the healing power of Jesus.
As I think about some of the people I spoke with this weekend and their stories, I see an important lesson in these two readings for each of us to reflect on today.
Life's Struggles
Some people I spoke with, in fact, those who were in the most difficult health situations, were like the official and the woman, believing that no matter what, God could help them. Then there were the other folks. People were wrestling with the uncertainties of life and wanting God to help them grow in confidence that He would remove obstacles, whether those of a spiritual, psychological, or relational nature.
As I said, I believe each of us has moments when we are searching with trepidation and others when we are fully confident that just getting to Jesus will be the answer.
If we look at Jacob, there is a wonderful reassurance that shows us how God’s Providence can work. Jacob comes upon a shrine and decides this is the place to rest. If this is our starting point in this story, we don’t know where Jacob is in his faith journey with God.
Safety with God
But what we do know from an earlier passage is that Jacob is running for his life because his brother Esau wants to kill him. In the safety of the shrine, God speaks to Jacob in a dream that includes a celestial stairway where God’s messengers are ascending and descending. In this supernatural scene, the Lord stands beside Jacob and promises something much greater than what Jacob’s brother is willing to kill him over, the family's land.
God promises Jacob the land upon which he is sleeping…and that it will be passed down to his descendants…and both will grow in territory and number and be blessed by God. God then addresses Jacob’s most urgent concern when He promises to protect Jacob wherever he goes and never to leave him. At times, God does speak to us in dreams, but many times it is in the times we read or hear a passage of Scripture or sit quietly alone looking up at the sky or out into the horizon of the ocean.
God speaks to us in our conversations with loved ones and even people we meet for the first time…and in countless other times and places.
Reaching a Place of Faith
Some commentaries on this passage from Genesis say that the shrine was simply a resting place. But Jacob’s reaction is unambiguous, for he boldly called it God’s abode and cried out, “How awesome is this shrine!”
Jacob reached a point of faith, promising that if God was true to his word and protected him along the way to return to where his brother Esau was in their father’s home, and then he safely returned, then the Lord would be his God. Jacob, having encountered God, was given what he needed to move forward and trust God in what he needed to do next. So often, the same is true for us and many others.
So, where are we today…more like Jacob or the official and the woman? In either case, we should always seek the Lord and be watching for signs of reassurance and guidance along the way!
- Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday–Friday. Consider inviting others to join, too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
