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The gospel text of today is taken from the Gospel of Matthew, and chapters 8 and 9 of the Gospel of Matthew are known as Matthew’s ‘miracle cycle’.
Our text for today includes the final miracle in Matthew’s Miracle Cycle, which is Jesus’ healing of the deaf-mute.
One of the things that is interesting to observe in all of these miracles, including that which we contemplate today, is the response that Jesus receives as a result of his performing miracles.
At least they are two-fold. On the one hand, the crowd seeing the miracle are amazed, speak of their amazement, attribute the power of Jesus to God, and come to believe in him.
But on the other, the Scribes and Pharisees’, are slow to believe, amazed do not want to show it, attribute Jesus’ power to the power of Beelzebul, the prince of death, and try to find faults in him so that he could be judged and condemned.
You see, the same action of Jesus, the very same stimulus, evokes two different responses in the receiver.
Now who is right? Who is wrong?
Who am I to judge? Perhaps both parties are right. And Both parties are equally wrong. It is because, they responded to this stimulus with the information they had known, the knowledge they had acquired, their belief, the background they were coming from, etc.
But what is more interesting here is the response of Jesus. He is not elated by the praises that he receives from the crowd nor he is feeling dependent on the criticism he receives from the scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus receives both praises and criticisms with equanimity, or in other words, as St. Ignatius would say, with indifference. Without being attached to any, neither feeling over the moon by the criticisms and taking glory to himself for the performance he has just had nor feeling drained off or put down by the negativity around him.
Rather, Jesus’ response was very clear. Knowing well who is he, with his mind fixed on his mission, and the will of the one who sent him, Matthew puts it beautifully as follows:
This summary statement of Jesus’ response in words and deeds, is very similar to the summary statement in Mat. 4,23 before the Sermon on the Mount. By repeating the summary statement here after the Miracle Cycle, Matthew shows that Jesus is Messiah not only in words (as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount) but also in deeds (as explicated in the Miracle Cycle).
Having been called to follow the same Master, today, as it was in Jesus’ time, the harvest is plenty. And we are his laborers. In our own way of laboring for God and his vineyard, let us ask ourselves, how do I respond to praises and criticism that are part and parcel of my life as a laborer?
What is my attitude toward praises and criticisms in life? How do I look at them? How do I take them? How do I let them affect my life? How do I look at the glass of water of praises and criticisms, as half filled or half empty?
What is it that motivates me and keeps me moving forward in saying and doing what say and do? Is it criticism or praise or the passion to do the will of God like Jesus?
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