Friday, 15th week in Ordinary Time, July 19, 2024
Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; (Ps) Is 38:10-12-16; Mt 12:1-8
Personally, I think I would be rather upset if a prophet came to me and said, “Put your house in order, for you are about to die.” Yikes! I am not that old, (yet). But it is an ominous warning that our life is fleeting. Even the Bible says in Psalm 90:10, we will live to be 70, or 80 if we are lucky. I know quite a few 80-plus-year-olds who believe they are lucky to be living. They are still thriving, and I believe it is through their faith and God’s mercy that they continue to do so. They are living the promise made to Hezekiah by God. I pray that when I get to their age, I have the same attitude. It is through our faith that God sheds His mercy and grace on us, not by the drudgery of our lives.
I have a friend who turned 70 a few months ago. For the last 15 years or so, he has been fighting cancer. But he is never down about it. I just had dinner with him last week and we went back to his home to play some cards. He never once was down about his situation. We talked, laughed, and played cards for several hours. Not once was he sad or defeated (well, he did lose at cards!). I asked him how he continues with such a positive attitude. His response did not surprise me. He quoted Psalm 90:10, “Seventy is the sum of our years, eighty if we are strong.” He said, “I have no choice but to be strong. The other choice is death. So why not be happy and enjoy my life?”
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of Mercy, not Sacrifice today. When we think of sacrifice, we think of those things that we believe we must do for the betterment of humanity or the things we must do in our lives to survive. But that is not what Jesus is referring to. He is referring to those things we choose to do, that we believe we are required to do to obtain God’s love. Unfortunately, those types of sacrifices end up being a burden for us and do not bring us closer to God. God gives us His graces freely when we show mercy, not sacrifice.
That is what Jesus is talking about. We do not have to do burdensome things just believing that if we do, we will get God’s graces. Just live your life showing mercy to all you meet and in all you do. That is how we receive the graces from God. Even if that means, like my friend, to be happy regardless of your age or physical health.
Saint James Catholic Church 