Scripture Scribbles: July 21, 2024
the Gospel
Mt 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.
the scribble
“Many people followed him, and he cured them all”
As I sit with the Gospel today, this line repeatedly jumps out to my heart.
I’ve been watching clips from the National Eucharistic Congress from afar this week, and as I read this line of Scripture I can’t help but picture the many people who literally followed Christ, truly present in the Eucharist, across the country on pilgrimage to the Congress.
I picture the 50,000+ Catholics gathered in Indianapolis, seeking to grow closer in their relationship to God.
And my heart is moved by the fact that what Christ did thousands of years ago in today’s Gospel, He continues to do today.
“Many people followed him, and he cured them all”
One of the most amazing things that has struck me from the countless conversion stories I’ve heard is that Christ is truly at work in this world. Very often in hidden, sometimes even unknown ways.
Many times it isn’t until you hear someone’s conversion journey that you come to know about the ways God was working in the quietness of their heart years, maybe even decades, earlier.
Long before the person was even aware of what was happening, Christ was at work— nudging their heart in a certain direction, piquing curiosity about a certain topic, poking at the restlessness and lack of peace caused by sin, healing the places where they’ve been wounded, ultimately calling them to something much greater.
It’s part of the reason why I love conversion stories so much.
These huge shifts of the heart and mind that God is leading people through constantly in this life, to bring souls closer to Him, are often things that never get talked about. So much of God’s work is done in secret, known only to Him and the one receiving the grace.
If these moments and monumental shifts were never shared, no one would ever know they were even taking place.
And yet, it is all very real. It is all happening right under our noses.
He works in such mysterious ways.
It leaves me speechless every time.
It makes me want to exclaim exactly what Jesus exclaimed to His Father, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to little ones” (Matthew 11:25).
In today’s Gospel we hear about how thousands of years ago “many people followed him, and he cured them all.”
I am here to tell you today this is still very much happening. Right now. In this world. Many people are coming to know Christ, many people are following Him, some even before they realize it themselves, and He is curing every single one of us along the way.
Let us pray this week for the very real work of God’s grace in this world. That whatever He may want come to fruition, that whoever He may be seeking would open their hearts to receive His grace and love. To take just one step closer.
That we may open our hearts to His grace today.
That we be open and willing to be nudged in whatever direction He may call us.
That we may take one step closer to Him.
And that we all may be cured. Amen.
Today’s devotion was written by Rachel Smith
