Today's reading from the Book of Genesis tells us of how God changes Jacob's name to Israel, a name which means that he is one who has grappled with God and with people and has prevailed. His name becomes the name of his people as they too are "wrestling" with the mystery of God's attempts to form a covenantal bond with the human race.
Jacob's name, Israel, reveals to us how God has ordained for us to live in this world. We are to constantly grapple with the values of this world and at the same time live up to the expectations of God. We are spiritual Israelites, people who will, we are told, eventually prevail over the attempts of our world overcome us.
The Gospel again relates Jesus' core message: "The Kingdom of God is near." So often we betray the fact that we do not think in terms of our two realities – the spiritual and the material worlds in which we live – as being all that close. Yet the name which God gives Jacob and the message that Jesus preaches are constant reminders that we are not to relegate our faith to the corners of our life. Rather we are to bring that faith to bear on our world.
Today Franciscans remember the martyrs of Gorkum, Franciscan friars and clergyman of the Netherlands who were tortured and hung for their refusal to renounce their allegiance to the Pope and their belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. They are perfect examples of men who are grappling with the mysteries of God and with the people of their society.
In this year of faith, the Holy Father has been reminding us of our vocation to bring our faith to bear on our lives in such a way that others will see that faith in action. Unlike the onlookers in today's Gospel, we should not be struck dumb-founded by the mysteries of God. We should proclaim in words and in the actions we perform each and every day.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator