14 July 2026, Tuesday of the 15th week – even-numbered year
Isaiah 7:1–9; Matthew 11:20–24
H o m i l y
The readings for this Eucharist speak to us of weakness and power – of human weakness and the power of God. In the first reading, taken from one of the early chapters of the Book of Isaiah, we are presented with a description of a highly complex political and military situation, with coalitions on both sides locked in conflict. In these circumstances, the young King Ahaz is filled with fear. His heart, like that of the whole people, trembles ‘as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind’. Ahaz considers asking Assyria for help, thereby jeopardizing his kingdom’s independence. It is then that Isaiah is sent to him to tell him that God will be their support, but on one condition: faith. ‘If you do not believe, you will not survive.’
In the admonitions that Jesus, in the Gospel, addresses to the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida, he essentially reproaches them for their lack of faith. ‘If the “acts of power” that took place among you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, wearing sackcloth and ashes.’ In reality, Jesus is not speaking of “miracles” as most of our translations do. He is speaking of acts of power (dunameis), manifestations of God’s power.
It is easy to apply this text to situations we experience, whether as individuals, as communities, as a nation or even as humanity. We often find ourselves in difficult situations where people are in turmoil, but through all this turmoil and beyond it, we must learn, with the eyes of faith, to perceive God’s action and discern His will.
Through the eyes of faith, let us strive to see the workings of God’s power – God’s dunameis – in our lives, and to find therein the foundation of faith that will enable us to face, without any fear, the next stages of our personal or communal history.
Armand Veilleux