Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

“For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” —1 Cor. 9

    All the prayers and readings of today’s liturgy direct us to our God who heals. Whenever Jesus preaches, whether through parables or cures, he is teaching us a lesson about healing. Whatever Jesus does is for us to imitate. Of course, we don’t necessarily have the power to heal physically. Yet, Jesus is teaching us how to heal both ourselves and other people.
 
    Thirteenth century theologian and poet, Thomas Aquinas, penned the following words:
   
If we are madly in love with our God, then we follow what Jesus preaches and lives. He has commissioned each of us to heal those fissures within ourselves by achieving interior peace with our God. How do we achieve interior peace? When those negative emotions burst upon us, we focus on Jesus and let them go. The more we practice this letting go, the more peaceful and God-centered we become.
   
  Simultaneously, we use the varying gifts of our individual personalities to sow peaceful solutions in interpersonal altercations. Instead of fueling an argument that is already brewing, we can neutralize the heat with softer words or we can re-direct the topic. Jesus recognizes in people an inner goodness not seen by others. Can we imitate Jesus by highlighting others’ goodness rather than their faults?
 
    God has given each of us many personality gifts to aid healing in social situations. Perhaps, we need to call on that virtue of courage given to us in Confirmation.  In our first reading today, Paul talks about being split apart into jealous communities. Do we get a secret thrill from a heated argument, not realizing that words can pierce in hurtful ways, or overlook the good that others have done because we are envious of their accomplishments? This oversight causes more breaks in relationships. These common situations—especially in families—are wounds that fester over the years. Instead of re-living the painful experience, let go of the differences, apologize or resume the relationship without further probing into the past.
       
  Edwina Gateley, a twenty-first century poet, also encourages us to realize our sacred vocation of living God’s presence in everyone: