20th Week, Ordinary Time, Thurs, 20.08.09

1st Reading: Judges 11:29-39

Gospel: Mt 22:1-14

The character of Jephthah in the 1st reading is an interesting one.

Jephthah was an outcast; he was the son of a prostitute.

People couldn't stomach him; they scorned him and rejected him.

Eventually, he went off into the hills and became an outlaw and a leader of a gang of bandits.

Yet it was upon Jephthah that the Spirit of the Lord descended to empower him to free his people from oppression.

Though the morality of Jephthah was questionable, yet he was a man of his word.

What he promised the Lord, he did fulfill, and that eventually meant breaking his heart over his daughter.

He didn't bargain with the Lord over his promise though, of course he never intended that his daughter would be the cost of the sacrifice.

And this makes us reflect on what God had promised us.

He promised that he would save us when he could have easily discarded us. God even promised to invite us to the wedding feast in heaven.

And he fulfilled that promise by letting his only Son be sacrificed on the cross.

The least we could humbly say is this: O Lord, you have given us so much. In your mercy, grant us one more thing: grant is a grateful and thankful heart.