Faith Like Never Before

It is Monday and I was so glad I made it to daily Mass. My phone didn’t ring, but I did get a text message with an update about someone under my care. Despite the noise of life, I found peace in the silence of the Chapel and in the richness of the Word.

The homily was unusually long, but beautifully so. It was full of wisdom, and I soaked in every word.

The First Reading was from (Genesis 28:10-22). It tells the story of Jacob’s dream, where he saw a ladder reaching up to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. At that moment, Jacob realized he was in the presence of the divine, and he declared: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!” (Genesis 28:16). That moment reminded me that God is often nearer than we realize. In all our dealings, and we should constantly communicate with Him about everything that is pestering us. 

The Responsorial Psalm was from (Psalm 91) “In you, my God, I place my trust.” What a powerful thing to be able to fully trust someone who will never betray, never abandon, never hurt, only God can offer that level of security. People fail us, but God never does.

Then came the Gospel reading, and it was the heart of it all: (Matthew 9:18-26).

 Here we saw faith like never before.

A synagogue leader, someone with status, knowledge, and perhaps doubt, came to Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” That was not a man of mere belief, that was a man of raw, desperate faith. 

Then came the woman, hemorrhaging for twelve years, untouchable by society, medically hopeless. But she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” And she did. And she was.

That’s the kind of faith I want.

 Faith that reaches past the noise.

 Faith that doesn’t wait for perfect answers, but moves in trust.

 Faith that touches Jesus, even just His tassel, and is transformed.

Lord, increase my faith like theirs. Teach me to trust You with all I am, even when all hope seems lost. Let my heart cry be: “Surely the Lord is in this place!”, even when I don’t see it yet.

I hope you draw something deep and real from today’s readings. May God bless you with faith like never before.

God bless you 🙏 

Amen.

Pal Ronnie