Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12, 14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
God is Always Greater
1) They conspired. It is said that envy is the root of all evil. There are those who get upset when they see someone getting attention, and instead of being happy for that person, they decide to attack him or her with gossip or even defamation. Our envy can hurt others. As Christians, we need to ask forgiveness for the times we have been envious of others. There are times when we have been hurt by someone else’s envy, but we must also remember that we too have been envious and we must work to remove that evil from our hearts.
2) He withdrew from there. By removing Himself from the situation, Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson. Distance yourself from those who try to harm you. It is important to be prudent and to know when to leave. It is important to move away from those who wish to harm you, so that you may continue to do the good Jesus wants you to do.
3) Do not speak. Jesus does great, beautiful things, but He does not continuously speak about what He is doing in order to bring attention to himself or his actions. Instead, He is silent. How often do we do nice things to show off, rather than keeping quiet about what we’ve done? Today, once again, Jesus teaches us to serve, leaving aside our egos. Our life is not a reality show, like Big Brother. Our life is beautiful, and the more beautiful it becomes, the more we should help others. Only when we help with love and not our egos will we be doing the work of God. Our only interest should be reaching Heaven; it only matters to be happy, everything else fades away. So, let’s ask Jesus to give us strength and get down to work.
God bless you in the name of The Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and do not forget that Heaven is Our Goal!
