OUR HELP AND OUR SHIELD
In the incident we hear about in Matthew's Gospel, the crowds looked with awe at the wonderful works that Jesus Christ did, but the religious leaders attributed this same work to the power of the devil. They disbelieved because they refused to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Their idea of religion was too narrow and closed to accept Jesus as the Anointed One sent by the heavenly Father "to set the captives free" (Is 61:1; Matt 11:5). They were too set in their own ways to change, and they were too proud to submit to Jesus. They held too rigidly to the observances of their ritual laws, while neglecting the more important duties of love of God and love of neighbor. They were lost and spiritually hungry for God. Jesus met their need and gave them new faith and hope in God's saving help.
Our heavenly Father is our help and our shield. This saving Lord comes to His people who are "like sheep without a shepherd" (Mt 9:36), a common biblical way to describe people without anyone to care for them. We are all are longing for healing and peace on our journey.
Jesus invites us to pray that the work of the Gospel may spread throughout the world, so that peace, joy, and love will be in the hearts of all people that can only come from our heavenly Father.
Take time to consider this prayerful reflection today, composed by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy:
I have come to the conclusion that the most important element in human life is faith. From faith, and through it, we come to a new understanding of ourselves and all the world about us. It puts everything into spiritual focus... so that love and joy and happiness, along with worry, sorrow, and loss, become a part of a large picture which extends far beyond time and space. Amen.