Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday of the fifteenth week in ordinary time, July 17, 2026

Delivered by Nia from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Isaiah 38: 1-6.21-22.7-8; Rs psalm: Is 38: 10.11.12abc.16; Matthew 12: 1-8.BETWEEN COMPASSION AND SACRIFICIAL OFFERRING  The theme for our meditation today is: BetweenCompassion and Sacrificial Offering. There are many Catholics who no longer goto the confession. This is represented by a young man who once spoke with hisparish priest, that he himself and his friends do not consider it important tomake confession through a Catholic priest. The young man has his own reason,that a direct confession of sins to God is sufficient and it is secure in termsof each person privacy. Confession of sins through a priest does not make themany good sense. The confession of sins is not just an act of prayingto God to reveal the sins committed and to ask forgiveness. Its main point isan act of reconciliation and repentance that a penitent should do. Prayer forforgiveness is not a sacrament of reconciliation and it cannot replace it. Thisprayer is the same as all kinds of offering sacrifices that the believersnormally do, namely to give something as the sign of our faith and love forGod. This is the same as giving something to our loved ones to respect andplease them. An offering of sacrifice is solely a human act, so itis very dependent on the free will, choice or taste of each person. Oftencertain offerings are arranged or institutionalized in order to meet the wishesof the authorities or leaders, therefore, the rules are made to keep an orderof observance. For example, there were some amount of money to be submitted,namely one tenth of monthly income. Burnt offerings and animals slaughteredmust be counted all and the condition of those animals should be unblemishedand many other items of norm. The Lord Jesus Christ came to the world and he hadauthority to replace all the existing rules with His own self-offeringsacrifice. What the Lord Jesus had made was the work of the almighty God forall of us, and this work is not actually the offerings to praise or honorsomebody but a merciful love or an act of compassion. God loves us bysacrificing Himself. God is all merciful and full of love, therefore, He gaveHis own Son for our salvation. The action of Jesus in His merciful love andcompassion is to save the world and us from the slavery of sin and death. The Lord's merciful love and our obligation topractice this in our daily lives is an act of worship that is superior to theSabbath observance and other offering sacrifices, when the call for salvationof mankind requires. This is what Jesus wanted to correct, when mercy orcompassion was despised or even abolished, while offering sacrifices andsabbath observance were strictly obeyed. For us believers, offering sacrificesand worships are also needed for our expression of faith. However, when mercyor compassion requires, we cannot replace it by merely offering prayers andsacrifices. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... Strengthen and fill us with Your power, OGod, so that we can witness Your truth through merciful love and compassionthat we do in the light of faith we profess. Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...