Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week
Ordinary Time
Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:32-38
I will begin my homily by saying I am not a good handyman. When putting something together, I do not understand directions well. I bought a portable fish finder because I was told it was super easy to use. I decided to put it together yesterday and struggled, so I gave up and went down to pray. During my prayer time, it dawned on me to check on u-tube to see if someone had made a video on how to assemble the fish finder I bought, and sure enough, there was one. I assembled the fish finder with this guy’s simple and able-to-see directions. Now I will need to do the same thing to figure out how to use it. How are we following the directions in our spiritual lives?
In our first reading from Hosea, the people are not following the directions given to them by God as they have made idols and worshipped pagan gods. So Hosea insists they stop doing what they are doing and return to follow God’s ways.
In our Gospel, the Pharisees are not following the directions of God as they cannot believe that Jesus the Messiah. After driving out a demon, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being a demon, which is why he has the power to drive out other demons. The Pharisees are like me, not following the directions in front of them.
The people are amazed that Jesus can dispel demons and want more! The people are like the simple video I watched to assemble my fish finder.
As we gather on this day, do we know how to follow the direction of Christ that is laid before us? Are we being the good disciples of Jesus and gathering others to follow Jesus by how we live?
May we come to follow the directions given to us in this Eucharist and do His will today.