I Will Rescue You

July 20, 2012

Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the Lord’s temple; I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city.” (Isaiah 38:4-6)

Those live whom the Lord protects; yours is the life of my spirit. You have given me health and life.  (Isaiah 38:16)

(After the Pharisees criticized the disciples for picking grain on the sabbath, Jesus said:) “I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” (Matthew 12:6-8)

Piety

Lord, I am grateful beyond words for the gift of eternal life Your Son won for me on the cross. May I glorify Your name in thought, words, and action every day of my time on this earth.

Study

Imagine Hezekiah’s reaction when he heard he was to be given another fifteen years on earth. Fifteen years! Think of what we’ve seen in the past fifteen years. Al-Qaeda’s attack on our country. The first African-American U.S. president. Close to universal Internet access for much of the country. Wars. Crushing national debt. The Arab spring. Children who were born fifteen years ago are now in high school.

A lot can happen in fifteen years.

And yet, Christ’s death and resurrection purchased us much more. As Catholics, we believe that when our earthly days are complete, those who welcomed God into their lives will enjoy a fullness of communion with God we term heaven, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes as “the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.”

Not for fifteen years.

Not for 150 years.

Forever.

Action

Offer up a written or oral thank-you prayer to God, or contemplate the ways in which you can better welcome Him into your life here today.