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Reading from the book of Genesis. In
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those days, Jacob got up while it was
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still night, took his two wives, his two
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female slaves, and his 11 sons, and
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crossed the ford of the Jabbach. After
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he had helped them cross the stream, and
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brought all that belonged to him across,
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Jacob was left alone. And behold, a man
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wrestled with him until daybreak. When
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he saw that he could not prevail, the
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man touched the tendon of his thigh, and
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immediately his thigh was dislocated as
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he wrestled with him. The man said to
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Jacob, "Let go of me, for it is
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daybreak." But Jacob answered, "I will
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not let go of you unless you bless me."
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The man asked him, "What is your name?"
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He answered, "Jacob." He said to him,
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"Your name shall not be called Jacob,
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but Israel, for you have struggled with
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God and with men and have prevailed."
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Jacob said to him, "Please tell me your
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name." He answered, "Why do you ask my
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name?" And he blessed him there. And
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Jacob named that place Faniel, saying,
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"I have seen God face to face, and my
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life has been spared." The sun rose as
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he passed through Fanuel, and he limped
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because of his thigh. That is why the
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children of Israel do not eat the tendon
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of the hip joint to this day because
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Jacob was wounded in the tendon. The
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word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you Lord. At that time they brought
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to Jesus a man who was mute and
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demon-possessed. When the demon was
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driven out, the mute man began to speak.
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The crowds were amazed and said,
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"Nothing like this has ever been seen in
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Israel." But the Pharisees said, "He
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drives out demons by the prince of
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Jesus went through all the cities and
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villages, teaching in their synagogues,
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preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
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healing every disease and every illness.
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When Jesus saw the crowds, he had
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compassion on them because they were
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harassed and helpless like sheep without
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a shepherd. Then he said to his
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disciples, "The harvest is plentiful,
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but the workers are few. Therefore, ask
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the Lord of the harvest to send out
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workers into his harvest." The word of
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the Savior. Glory to you, Lord.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine yourself in the midst of an epic
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battle. Not an ordinary war fought with
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weapons of metal and fire, but a
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struggle that transcends the physical. A
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battle of the soul where every move
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determines not only the fate of a
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moment, but the course of an entire
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life. This is the scene that unfolds in
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today's first reading when Jacob find
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himself alone in the darkness of the
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night facing a mysterious adversary on
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the banks of the river Jabbach. Jacob
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the deceiver, the usurper, the man who
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had spent his entire life fighting
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against his brother Esau, against his
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father-in-law Laban, against
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circumstances, against himself. Now, at
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a crucial moment in his journey, he
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finds himself in a struggle that will
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last until dawn. But this is no ordinary
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struggle. It is a confrontation with God
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himself. A divine wrestling match that
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will forever change his identity and his
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destiny. I will not let you go unless
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you bless me, Jacob cries, clinging to
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his divine adversary. Even as his thigh
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is dislocated. What a powerful image of
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Even wounded, even in pain, Jacob does
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not give up. He understands that this
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moment is decisive, that his future
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depends on this struggle. And then comes
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the question that echoes through the
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centuries. What is your name? It is not
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a casual question. In biblical culture,
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a name carries the weight of identity,
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character, destiny. When Jacob answers
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Jacob, which means suppler or deceiver,
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he is confessing not only his name but
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his nature, his failings, his history of
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manipulation and deceit. But God does
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not leave him trapped in this limited
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identity. Your name shall no longer be
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called Jacob, but Israel, for you have
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struggled with God and with men and have
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prevailed. a new name, a new identity.
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Israel, the one who wrestles with God
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and prevails, not through brute force or
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cunning, but through a persistence that
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refuses to give up on divine blessing.
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My dear brothers and sisters, how many
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of us do not identify with Jacob? How
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many of us do not carry names? Not
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necessarily our baptismal names, but the
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labels that life has given us or that we
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have assumed for ourselves. failure,
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rejected, unworthy, limited, hopeless
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sinner. How many of us do not need a
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struggle with God that results in a new
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identity? The beauty of this story is
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that God does not just endure our
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struggle. He invites it. He is not
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offended when we question, when we
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struggle, when we refuse to accept easy
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answers. On the contrary, he honors our
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persistence, our refusal to give up on
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his blessing. Jacob emerges from this
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struggle. Transformed but not unscathed.
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He limps for the rest of his life.
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Bearing on his body the mark of his
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encounter with God. This teaches us
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something profound. Our spiritual
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transformation often comes through
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brokenness, not strength. It is in our
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weakness that God's strength is
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perfected. Moving on to the gospel, we
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see Jesus in action, demonstrating
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divine compassion in tangible ways. A
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demon-possessed mute man is brought to
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Jesus. With a word, Jesus casts out the
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demon and the silenced man regains his
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voice. The crowds are amazed. Nothing
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like this has ever been seen in Israel.
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But not everyone is impressed. The
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Pharisees, blinded by envy and pride,
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attribute Jesus power to be elabub. What
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a striking contrast. The same action
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that brings hope to some brings
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accusation from others. This reminds us
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that our response to God's miracles
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reveals much about the state of our
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hearts. Jesus does not stop at
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criticism. He continues to travel from
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town to town teaching, preaching, and
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healing. And then something
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extraordinary happens. Jesus looks at
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the crowds and feels compassion. But it
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is not a passive sentimental compassion.
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It is a compassion that moves him to
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action. The harvest is plentiful, but
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the laborers are few. Jesus observes. He
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sees the spiritual need of people as
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sheep without a shepherd, lost, lost,
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and lost. And then comes the call, "Pray
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therefore the Lord of the harvest that
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he will send out laborers into his
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harvest." Here is the profound
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connection between our two readings.
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Jacob wrestled with God and was
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transformed from a deceiver into a
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prince. Jesus sees the need of the world
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and calls us to be part of the solution.
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Both stories invite us to a
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transformation that empowers us for
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service. But how do we become these
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laborers in the harvest?
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How do we move from our limited identity
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to becoming instruments of God's
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compassion? First, we need our own
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experience of wrestling with God.
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We need to come to him with our baggage,
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our limitations, our fears, and refuse
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to leave his presence without a
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blessing. This requires brutal honesty
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about who we really are, confessing our
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true names before God. Second, we need
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to be willing to receive a new identity.
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Just as Jacob became Israel, we are
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called to embrace our identity as
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beloved children of God, co-airs with
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Christ, and bearers of the divine image.
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This is not just a change of perspective
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but a fundamental transformation of our
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being. Third, we need to develop the
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compassion of Christ. When we look at
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the world around us, do we see only
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problems and difficult people or do we
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see sheep without a shepherd in need of
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care and direction? Our vision reveals
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the state of our hearts. Fourth, we need
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to respond to the call to be laborers in
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the harvest. This does not necessarily
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mean leaving our jobs to become
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professional missionaries. It means
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recognizing that wherever we are, we are
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called to be agents of God's compassion,
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bringing healing, hope, and
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transformation to a hurting world.
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Finally, we need to be prepared for the
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cost. Jacob emerged from his struggle
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transformed but with a limp. Jesus warns
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us that following his example of
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compassion will not always be easy or
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popular. But it is in this path of
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sacrificial service that we find our
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true purpose and identity. My dear
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brothers and sisters, today we are
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invited to our own struggle with God.
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Not a struggle of rebellion or
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resistance, but a struggle of faith, a
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spiritual wrestling that refuses to
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accept less than God's full blessing. We
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are called to bring our true names, our
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limitations, our fears, our failures,
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and allow God to give us a new identity.
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And once transformed, we are sent out
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into a world that desperately needs to
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see Christ's compassion in action. Every
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person we meet is an opportunity to be a
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laborer in God's harvest. Every
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difficult situation is a chance to
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demonstrate the transforming power of
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the gospel. May we, like Jacob, persist
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in our pursuit of God until we receive
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his blessing. May we, like Jesus, look
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at the world with genuine compassion and
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be moved to action. May we be
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instruments of healing for the mute,
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deliverance for the oppressed, and hope
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for the hopeless. And may we look back
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at the end of our journey and see not
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only the lives around us transformed,
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but our own transformation from people
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limited by their circumstances into
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princes and princesses in the kingdom of
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God, faithful laborers in the Lord's
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harvest. May the God who wrestled with
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Jacob and transformed him into Israel,
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who moved Jesus to compassion for the
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multitudes, bless us and use us for his
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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
