20250801 WHERE DID THIS MAN GET HIS WISDOM AND THESE MIRACULOUS POWERS?
01 August 2025, Friday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Leviticus 23:1,4-11,15-16,27,34-37 |
The law of the festivals of the Lord
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:
‘These are the Lord’s solemn festivals, the sacred assemblies to which you are to summon the sons of Israel on the appointed day.
‘The fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the Passover of the Lord; and the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of Unleavened Bread for the Lord. For seven days you shall eat bread without leaven. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must do no heavy work. For seven days you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord. The seventh day is to be a day of sacred assembly; you must do no work.’
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:
‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them:
‘“When you enter the land that I give you, and gather in the harvest there, you must bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest, and he is to present it to the Lord with the gesture of offering, so that you may be acceptable. The priest shall make this offering on the day after the sabbath.
‘“From the day after the sabbath, the day on which you bring the sheaf of offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You are to count fifty days, to the day after the seventh sabbath, and then you are to offer the Lord a new oblation.
‘“The tenth day of the seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly. You must fast, and you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord.
‘“The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of Tabernacles for the Lord, lasting seven days. The first day is a day of sacred assembly; you must do no heavy work. For seven days you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly, you must offer a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a day of solemn meeting; you must do no heavy work.
‘“These are the solemn festivals of the Lord to which you are to summon the children of Israel, sacred assemblies for the purpose of offering burnt offerings, holocausts, oblations, sacrifices and libations to the Lord, according to the ritual of each day.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 80(81):3-6,10-11 |
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
Raise a song and sound the timbrel,
the sweet-sounding harp and the lute;
blow the trumpet at the new moon,
when the moon is full, on our feast.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
For this is Israel’s law,
a command of the God of Jacob.
He imposed it as a rule on Joseph,
when he went out against the land of Egypt.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
Let there be no foreign god among you,
no worship of an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.1Th2:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message, and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:54-58 |
A prophet is only despised in his own country
Coming to his home town, Jesus taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
WHERE DID THIS MAN GET HIS WISDOM AND THESE MIRACULOUS POWERS?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Lev 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37; Ps 81:3-6,10-11; Mt 13:54-58]
“Coming to his home town, Jesus taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get his wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the women called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?'” Indeed, the same question they asked of Jesus should also be asked of themselves: Where did they get their food, accommodation, health, talents, work, and money from? Have we not often taken our blessings for granted? We tend to take full credit for our achievements in life – attributing them to our hard work, ingenuity, and planning. At most, we acknowledge the team that helped us accomplish our projects.
But do we give credit to God? How often have we failed to recognise that our wisdom and power come from God alone? Indeed, all that we have comes from God alone. Without God’s grace, we would not even be alive – much less accomplish the things we set out to do. Even good health comes from God, even if it is dependent on our genes. This is because inheriting good genes is a grace of God. Where we are born, who our parents are, the family we grow up in, our financial situation, the opportunities we receive, and the people we meet – are all dependent on the grace of God.
This is true for Jesus as well. His very being is one with the Father. The source of His wisdom and miraculous powers clearly come from God and no one else. He came from the Father, who is the origin of life and love. As the Son of God, He was eternally with the Father. As the Son of Man, He came from God, was conceived in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. He grew in age and wisdom like the rest of us. (cf Lk 1:30-35; 2:40) Although He was God, He emptied Himself of His divinity and assumed our humanity, even unto death. (Phil 2:6-8) All the works He did were done in union with the Father: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f)
What about us? Where do our wisdom and power come from? There is a danger that some of us are using worldly and evil powers to increase our power. When Jesus cast out a demon from a dumb man, some accused Him, saying, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” (Lk 11:15) While this accusation was completely false to our Lord, it could sadly be true for some people today. Many resort to evil means to get what they want – power, wealth, positions in life – through cheating, slander, manipulation, oppression, or by using sex, money, and influence to win people over to work for their selfish interests. Some even enter into alliances with spirits through occult practices, worshipping Satan and his fallen angels in order to manipulate nature, events, people, or other spirits. As long as we worship Satan, invoke spirits, or engage in sinful and evil deeds, we are in fact colluding with Beelzebul – even if not in name.
If we know that everything comes from God, there is no reason to be envious of others. We read that Jesus was not rejected because His teachings were false, or because His works came from the Evil One. Rather, He was rejected simply because He was one of them. The evangelist notes succinctly: “And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house,’ and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Indeed, without faith in God – at work in our lives and in the lives of others – we deprive ourselves of the ways God desires to touch us, heal us, and give us life.
It is for this reason that the first and greatest commandment is to love God above everything else. God said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:1-6) Moses reiterated this command as the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Jesus affirmed this truth when He responded to the scribe who asked our Lord, “Which commandment is the first of all?” (cf Mk 12:28-31)
It is within this context that the solemn festivals were instituted by Moses to help the people to remember that God is the source of all life. The various rituals and festivals were celebrated so that the people would continually call to mind the God of Israel, who journeyed with them from Egypt, through the desert, to the Promised Land. It was essential that later generations not forget what the Lord had done for them, lest they turn to false gods or begin to worship themselves. These celebrations also served to strengthen their fellowship and unity by preserving and sharing in common traditions.
Among the most important festivals is the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. Moses instructed: “The fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the Passover of the Lord; and the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of Unleavened Bread for the Lord.” This feast commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites were set free from their slavery and granted the freedom to be the Chosen People of God. Whenever they celebrate the Passover, they recall and relive the redemptive experience of their forefathers in their own lives. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated alongside the Passover, serves as a reminder of the need to remove sin, and well as the wounds and hurts of the past, in order to live a new life in God. Leavened bread is a symbol of sin, while unleavened bread represents moral purity.
Another important feast is the feast of the First-fruits. This celebration is sometimes called by various names, such as Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Tabernacles. Moses commanded, “‘When you enter the land that I give you, and gather in the harvest there, you must bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest, and he is to present it to the Lord with the gesture of offering, so that you may be acceptable. The priest shall make this offering on the day after the sabbath.” The Feast of Weeks was an occasion to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. As the Israelites entered the Promised Land, their livelihood changed from being nomadic to agricultural, making this feast a celebration of their new life and dependence on God’s providence.
There is another important feast that the Israelites celebrated, namely, the Day of Atonement. Moses said, “Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.” (cf Lev 23:27f) On this day, the Jews pray for forgiveness of their sins against God and their fellowmen. It is day of fast and penance.
Following the feast of the Atonement is The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of the Ingathering. It marks the celebration of the Final Harvest. This feast commemorates their Exodus from Egypt and how the Lord provided for them during the forty years in the wilderness.
Regardless of the number of feasts celebrated by the Israelites or the Jews, the primary purpose of the solemn festivals, as Moses said, is “for the purpose of offering burnt offerings, holocausts, oblations, sacrifices and libations to the Lord.” In this way, we will remember that it is the Lord our God who makes possible for us to live happy and meaningful lives. Remembering that God is the Creator and Provider of all things helps us to remain humble and grateful for what we receive, and less anxious about our future needs. Instead, we can place our trust in His divine providence and share with those in need.
For us, Catholics, we too have our own religious celebrations. The Season of Advent reminds us of the hope in the coming of the Messiah – over 2000 years ago, and His return on the last day. Christmas celebrates Emmanuel, God-with-us, when He assumed our humanity and became one of us to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lent invites us to repent of our sins and become more receptive to the Word of God, calling us to live a virtuous life. Easter celebrates our definite hope in the New Life – both here and in the hereafter – guaranteed by Christ’s resurrection. Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and anticipates the eventual harvest of all humanity for God’s glory. Besides these main feasts, there are other celebrations. Again, the goal of liturgical celebrations is to commemorate God’s saving works in our history and life, so that we can continue to trust in Him, cooperate with His divine plan, and find salvation in this life and hereafter. In this way, we are empowered to live our lives with peace, love, harmony, and purpose.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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