19th Friday in Ordinary Time, St Stephen of Hungary, August 16, 2024
Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63; (Ps) Is 12:2-6; Mt 19:3-12
What a beautiful story we heard today about a young woman. Abandoned at an early age, God sees her and watches over her. Years later, when she has grown, God finds her again and makes not a promise, but a covenant with her, that no matter what, He will provide. As she grows, she strays away from God, and amazed by her own beauty, she is tempted by the alluring world. Yet God remembers his covenant with her, and saves her from the worldly life she was living. This is truly an act of love, the love God had for her.
The Gospel today is also about love. Jesus reminds us that God made us male and female. So we could share that love, cling together and become one. Out of that love, will come new flesh, a child. It was, and is, meant to be this way. It is the way God intended us to be from the very beginning. The true way of love.
The world is a very tempting place. We too can be tempted to think the way the world does, and fall into its devices. Yet, through it all, God is watching, and waiting, for us to come to him, just like the girl in Ezekiel’s time. God is ready to save us from this world, and thorough Jesus, we have a new and everlasting covenant. The promise of everlasting life. All we have to do is sit at Jesus feet and say yes Lord, I believe.
St Stephen of Hungary, whose feast day it is today, heard that word and helped promote Christianity in Hungary. He helped Christian leaders, built churches, brought the pagans in the area to Christianity and was a strong proponent of the Holy See. His efforts were so great to bring peace and unity among Christians, that he was named king of Hungary in the year 1000. His legacy lasted for many years, well into the 1300’s. His crown and regalia became beloved symbols of the Hungarian nation. He was canonized by Pope St Gregory in 1803 and became the patron saint of Hungary.
St. Stephen’s life is a reminder that God’s love for us never ends. God’s greatest covenant with us was and is through Jesus Christ. Open your hearts and hear the word, the word of Love. That God will never abandon us, no matter what we do, or where we go. Come back to him and seek the solace, peace and love, He has to give.
Saint James Catholic Church 