The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27
My Soul's Beloved,
Jacob received the blessing of his father just as God intended him to. He, the second, was to be before the first - this was the will of God. His father, old, infirm, and almost blind, bestowed out of the fullness of his love for Esau, prayed the most profound and heartfelt blessing, and this blessing fell on the head of Jacob, and the will of God was fulfilled.
While we may question both Rebakah's and Jacob's deception, God's purpose was realized.
We, too, use questionable means sometimes to gain what we desire. When we do, let us come humbly before You, O Lord, confess our guilt with true contrition and repentance, and You will forgive all our iniquities and will not withhold Your blessings. When Your hand is upon O Lord, we are invincible. When we walk in the light of Your grace, light, and truth, and these are our guides, we can walk the narrow and difficult path that is before us with confidence, for You will walk with us. You have assured us that You will not just be beside us and will abide in us and make us one with You and with the Father.
Stay with us, Lord, until we reach our journey's end.
Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see. He summoned his elder son Esau. ‘My son!’ he said to him, Make me the kind of savoury I like and bring it to me, so that I may eat, and give you my blessing before I die.’
Rebekah happened to be listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau.
So when Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come here, then, and let me touch you, my son, to know if you are my son Esau or not.’ Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice but the arms are the arms of Esau!’ He did not recognise him, for his arms were hairy like his brother Esau’s, and so he blessed him. He said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ And he replied, ‘I am.’ Isaac said, ‘Bring it here that I may eat the game my son has brought, and so may give you my blessing.’ He brought it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank. His father Isaac said to him, ‘Come closer, and kiss me, my son.’ He went closer and kissed his father, who smelled the smell of his clothes.
He blessed him, saying:
‘Yes, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a fertile field blessed by the Lord.
May God give you
dew from heaven,
and the richness of the earth,
abundance of grain and wine!
May nations serve you
and peoples bow down before you!
Be master of your brothers;
may the sons of your mother bow down before you!
Cursed be he who curses you;
blessed be he who blesses you!’
PSALM 134(135):1-6
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
Praise the name of the Lord,
praise him, servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.
Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself
and Israel for his own possession.
For I know the Lord is great,
that our Lord is high above all gods.
The Lord does whatever he wills,
in heaven, on earth, in the seas.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
MATTHEW 9:14-17
My Soul's Beloved,
We are the children of the New Covenant sealed in Your Blood and ratified by the Holy Spirit through Baptism. While You were with Your disciples they rejoiced in Your presence among them. The Eternal Word of the Father lived among them, broke bread with them, and instructed them. You were their Master, their Rabbi, their Lord. They relied on Your nearness to them and revelled in Your reflected glory. Wherever You went, large crowds followed You and all received healing by the power of Your Word and Your touch. They, too, with the authority given to them by You could teach, heal, and preach when You sent them out two by two. They believed that You were the long-awaited Messiah prophesied by the prophets.
Today, we reflect on the questions that John the Baptist's disciples raised: ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ They were also familiar with John the Baptist's rough, ascetic life and were curious why Your disciples did not. You responded, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’
Now, O Lord, the Bridegroom is taken away from our sight, and we prepare for Your coming with fasting, prayer, and sacrifice, and strive to live holy lives. Following the commandments and being faithful to the mission entrusted to us to witness to the Good News. We are the new wine. We are the unshrunken cloth. We are the new people of God, and with us a New Covenant is made in Your precious blood and sealed in Your Holy Spirit. Keep us faithful, O Lord, to the end.
John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.’
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