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August 26, 2023Reflection for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 22:19-23: This passage is thought to have been written around 701 B.C. when Israel was under siege by the Assyrians. In this passage, Isaiah warns Shebna, the king’s steward, that his unjust and selfish misuse of his authority are known to God and that he’ll be replaced by Eliakim, who will restore justice and integrity in governing the people.
Though this is a prophetic warning for Shebna, it’s also a message of hope for the people of that time, and for us. The timeless message here is that God is aware of unjust leaders and their abuses of their power and that God, then and now, can and does intervene, to restore order, peace and justice. Trust in God! May God send us holy and just leaders, who will respect, nurture and protect people of all ages and life stages.
Psalm 138: “Lord, Your Love is eternal; do not forsake the work of Your hands.” Today, we sing a psalm of thanksgiving, glory and praise to God. The psalmist honors, worships and thanks God for petitions answered and invites others to join him or her in adoration. In the second verse, the psalmist thanks God for “building up strength within” him or her. That’s a great focus of reflection! Let’s take time this week to consider how God has built up strength within us. Often, strength is built up within us when we have to endure stressors, challenges and adversity in our lives. Strength is built up within us when we sometimes have to wait awhile for the favorable outcome that we’re requesting from God. Perhaps, we could take time to reflect on such past experiences in our lives, and then, let’s thank God, this week, for building up strength within us, throughout our lives.
Romans 11:33-36: St. Paul continues our theme of offering glory, praise, worship and thanks to God. Paul invites us to exult in God’s wisdom, knowledge and infinitely superior judgment and intellect; as compared to our finite limitations. Furthermore, Paul reminds us that our very lives and any virtues and assets we possess, come from God, as a free gift. We could never repay God or earn the Salvation, redemption and other graces that God bestows upon us. Paul is reminding us of our total dependence upon God for every blessing we enjoy in this life, as well as all the blessings we hope to partake in, when we pass into eternal life. Consequently, let’s make serious efforts to offer God glory, praise, adoration and thanks for all of His goodness to us. Dear God, give us the grace to worship and thank You, as we should!
Matt 16:13-20: With our focus on offering God glory, praise, adoration and thanks, it’s logical to reflect on just Whom our God is… namely, the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit! In today’s Gospel, Peter explicitly recognizes Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Notice that Jesus, in response, recognizes Peter as having been blessed to receive this awareness. Peter didn’t “know” Jesus’ identity as God, through any knowledge Peter had developed, himself. Peter “knew” Jesus because Jesus’ Heavenly Father had revealed Jesus’ identity as the Messiah and Son of God, to Peter. Once again, we’re reminded that any knowledge, talents, skills or wealth we possess all come from God and never originate with ourselves.
We can never thank God enough for God’s benevolence toward us, but this week, let’s make a good effort to do so, nevertheless.
Thanks be to God!
Deacon Matt
