20th JULY. MONDAY IN WEEK 16

1.Exodus 14:5-18

2.Matthew 12:38-42

MEDITATIONS AND REFLECTIONS

Taking the risk to trust

How often are we ready to risk our lives? Practically nobody likes to risk his life or her life. We always strive to avoid risks in life. However, to risk on the other hand is to gain, if we fear to take a risk, as Christians we cannot learn. Israelites who after escaping from Egypt were still fearful that God would abandon them in the desert. Unless, immediate solutions were available to put them beyond all risk, the Israelites (refugees) put this question to Moses: “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert?” Unless, we are determined not to endure slavery under any form, we will not take the risk of faith.

We are all aware that risks are part and parcel of our lives. For example if spouses are not ready to take risk of commitment “for better or for worse” soon or later they abandon fidelity to one another. We must bear in mind that God counts every detail in any circumstance of our lives. At crucial time in our lives in life, we must summon our faith that God does care when his people are in trouble. The scriptures today challenge us to sustain that spirit of hopeful faith, even if the fulfilment of our hope is long delayed. We are invited all to be vigilant in all circumstances of our lives.

The question for our meditation and reflection is that how disappointed Jesus felt when people showed interest only in miracles, instead of listening to him about our relationship God. Already he had shown great kindness and concern for people’s needs, however the crowd wanted more than the cure of a poor cripple or words of wisdom about being poor in spirit or pure of heart. Jesus mentions Jonah and how many Ninevites were converted by his preaching; and the Queen of Sheba’s admiration for the Wisdom of Solomon. These foreigners, even at worst of them, the Ninevites, repented and were converted- and yet “you have a greater than Solomon here.” If we don’t take the risk of being generous towards others, miracles will prove nothing to us. Then too, Jesus points to the sign of Jonah, “three days and three nights in the belly of the whale.” It is the call to each one of us that we too must risk going the depths and letting ourselves be as it were “ swallowed up” by the will of God and taken to wherever God brings us, as happened to Jonah. Then we will experience the sweet reward of faith, after long fidelity.

In the gospel Jesus mentions two famous Characters from the Jewish antiquity, the wise king Solomon and the reluctant Prophet Jonah. Jesus in this context goes on portraying himself as greater than Jonah  and greater than Solomon. Jesus in speaking so he means that he is God’s word; he is not only a wise king, he is the wisdom of God. Yet, in spite of all theses identities many of Jesus’ contemporaries did not appreciate him. In the gospel we hear scribes and Pharisees approaching Jesus looking for sign; they want some spectacular sign before they take him seriously. Jesus after having known their minds he replies, “there is something greater than Jonah here; something greater than Solomon here.” Jesus is not only greater than Jonah and Solomon; he is greater than anything that might seem to come between us and him. As Saint Paul says, “nothing in all creation will be able will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If someone greater is standing among us, our call is to become attentive to his presence.