8 July 2014
Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus has spent His recent days performing miracles and for His latest He releases a man from demonic oppression, and all are amazed (except, of course, the Pharisees). They immediately attribute Jesus’ power over demons to demonic forces themselves, a rather steep charge. However we have come to know by faith that Jesus drives out demons not only by His own power, but by the authority He bears as the Son of God, as the Firstborn of the One Who made heaven, earth and all within, including those angels that rebelled against Him. Even a demon must obey the Son of Man, because He is also the Son of God.
Our Gospel tells us He went about preaching and teaching, proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and healing all sorts of people; He continues to show the love of the Father by reaching out to all those in need, by caring for the Children of God as His Father has always cared for Him. It is in the midst of all this that we really get a glimpse of the Father’s heart in Jesus: “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”
In other words, Jesus looked out and saw the vast humanity spread out before Him as a horde of orphans, and it moved His heart tremendously. He had spent days tending to dozens and dozens, but suddenly the scope of mankind’s need and the depth of their estrangement from God pressed upon His heart and, turning to His disciples, He tells them, “I cannot do this alone.”