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reading of the book of the prophet
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Isaiah this says the Lord your deliverer
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the Holy One of Israel I the Lord your
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God teach you useful things I lead you
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in the way you go oh if you had kept my
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Commandments your peace would have been
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like a river and your righteousness like
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the waves of the sea your offspring
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would be like the sand of the Sea and
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the children of your womb like the
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grains of sand this name would not have
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disappeared or been removed from my
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presence word of the Lord thank
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Matthew Glory To
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You Lord at that time Jesus said to the
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crowds with whom will I compare this
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generation they like children sitting in
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the squares who shout to their
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colleagues saying we played the flute
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and you did not dance we sang
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Lamentations and you did not beat your
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breasts John came who neither eats nor
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drinks and they say he has a demon the
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son of man came who eats and drinks and
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they say he is a glutton and a drunkard
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a friend of tax collectors and sinners
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but wisdom was recognized on the basis
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Salvation Glory To You
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Lord my dear Brothers and Sisters in
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Christ gathered together in this
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celebration I invite each of you to
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reflect with me on the direction we give
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our lives the word of God today through
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readings from Isaiah and the gospel of
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Matthew invites us to contemplate two
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fundamental themes divine guidance and
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our response to God's call Imagine for a
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moment that you are traveling through an
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immense and unknown desert on the
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horizon there is an experienced guide
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who knows every path every danger and
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Oasis however many decide to ignore the
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guide and follow their own intuitions
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believing they know the best path what
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happens to those who reject the guide's
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guidance they get lost suffer and often
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end up without strength this is what our
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life is like without God's Direction in
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the first reading we hear the prophet
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Isaiah say I am the Lord your God who
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teaches you what is useful who leads you
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in the way you should go these words
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reveal God's deep desire to lead us he
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is not a distant and indifferent Master
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he is a loving father who wants the best
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for his children however like the people
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of Israel we often resist Divine
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guidance we prefer to trust our own
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desires and decisions ignoring God's
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Commandments and his wisdom Isaiah
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reminds us of the consequences of this
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Disobedience if you had paid attention
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to my Commandments your peace would have
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been like a river and your righteousness
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like the waves of the sea what a
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powerful image God promises a peace that
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flows like a river constant renewing
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serene and a Justice that is vast and
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immense like the waves of the sea when
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we turn away from God we lose this peace
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and this Justice our hearts become
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Restless like a field parched by lack of
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rain now in the gospel of Matthew Jesus
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presents us with a scene that seems very
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familiar a generation that does not know
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how to recognize the signs of God he
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says to whom should I compare this
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generation it is simp similar to
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children sitting in the squares who
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shout to their colleagues we played the
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flute for you and you did not dance we
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sang Lamentations and you did not beat
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our breast Jesus uses a rich and
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provocative metaphor he Compares his
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generation to tantrum children who are
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not satisfied with anything if something
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happy happens they complain if something
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serious happens they don't like it
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either and how often we are like that
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too we want God to act according to our
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whims we want a God who serves us
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instead of submitting to him Jesus
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continues John came who neither eats nor
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drinks and they say he has a demon the
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son of man came who eats and drinks and
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they say he is a glutton and a drunkard
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a friend of tax collectors and
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sinners here's the bottom line
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resistance to God's call is often roed
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in our prejudices and our inability to
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expectations John the Baptist was
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rejected because he seemed too rigid
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Jesus was rejected because he seemed too
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close to people in both cases people
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were looking for excuses not to accept
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the Divine message now my brothers let
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us bring these words into our reality
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how many times do we reject God's
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Messengers in our lives maybe it's a
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friend or family member who tries to
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lovingly correct us Perhaps it is the
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voice of conscience warning us about our
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mistakes or perhaps it is the word of
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God itself which we read but choose to
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ignore God speaks to us constantly he
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guides us as Isaiah says teaches us what
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is useful but we are the ones who decide
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whether we will listen or not the
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question is do we have ears to hear and
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hearts to obey let's think for example
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ex Le about how we react to adversity
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many times we want God to solve our
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problems immediately and miraculously
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but what if difficulties are precisely
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the means by which he wants to teach us
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something imagine a father teaching his
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son to ride a bicycle he allows the
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child to fall a few times because he
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knows that this is part of learning God
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also allows us to face challenges not
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because he wants to see us suffer but
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because he wants to strengthen us
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another important lesson from the gospel
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is humility Jesus shows us that to
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recognize Divine wisdom we need to
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abandon our pride and our certainties
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the world values self-reliance but God
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invites us to be like children dependent
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trusting and open to his Direction let's
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go back to the image of the guide in the
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desert to follow the guide you need to
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trust this means let letting go of our
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own maps and plans and allowing the
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guide to show us the way so it is with
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God he is the perfect guide but we need
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to trust him and follow him even when
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the path seems difficult or
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incomprehensible now let's reflect on
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how to apply these lessons to our daily
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lives first we must take time to listen
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to God's voice this means setting aside
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time for prayer reading scripture and
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silence many times times we are so busy
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that we cannot hear God still Small
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Voice in our hearts second we need to
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act with faith and obedience it is not
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enough to listen to the word of God it
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is necessary to put it into practice
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this may mean making difficult choices
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such as forgiving someone who has hurt
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us being generous to those in need or
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resisting temptations that take us away
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from God and finally we are called to
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have an open and humble heart we must
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recognize that we do not know everything
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and that we need God's guidance in every
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aspect of Our Lives my brothers today's
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message is an invitation to conversion
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God is our faithful and loving guide but
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it is up to us to decide whether we will
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follow his direction or continue to
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wander in the deserts of our own choices
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may we as Isaiah says pay attention to
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God's commandments so that our peace may
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be like a river and our right iess like
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the waves of the sea we close with a
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prayer Lord open our ears to hear your
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voice and our hearts to welcome your
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will teach us to trust you as our guide
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and to follow your paths with faith and
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obedience may we recognize the signs of
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your love in our lives and live
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according to your teachings amen may the
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Lord bless us and always lead us along
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paths of Peace Justice and joy amen
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St Michael the Archangel defend Us in
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battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
