Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 / Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 6-8
To believe in God is certainly a comfort and a consolation.
To know that God loves us and cares for us and will protect us from dangers is certainly very comforting.
To know that God is merciful and compassionate and that He will forgive us our sins is indeed very consoling.
But we must also accept the lessons that God wants to teach us if we had gone wrong or gone astray.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Isaiah knew that as much as God will forgive, yet God will also teach His people how to walk faithfully in His ways.
The prophet says in the 1st reading: God will be gracious to you when He hears your cry, when He hears, He will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, He who is your teacher will hide no longer.
In the gospel, we see the effects of sin on the people - diseases and sicknesses, harassment and dejection, as well as poverty and injustice.
Jesus came to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom by curing all kinds of diseases and sickness, and to teach the truth of life and love.
Let us walk in the ways of the Lord and follow Jesus in the path of salvation.
And if we experience sufferings and hardships, let us believe that God is teaching us something and it will always be for our good.
That is comforting and consoling enough for us to keep our faith in God.