September 2, 2026—Wednesday, 22nd even week
H O M I L Y
In this 22nd week of Ordinary Time, we began reading the Gospel of Luke on Monday.
Of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Luke is undoubtedly the best “structured,” for Luke knew how to write. Above all, he knew how to organize his material well. The first two chapters of his Gospel, which seem to deal with the childhood of Jesus, actually foreshadow the major themes of the entire Gospel. Likewise, the following chapters—particularly Chapter 4 (yesterday and today)—already foreshadow the two main forms of Jesus’ ministry: His healings and His proclamation of the Good News
It should be noted that while we readily speak of miracles, Luke simply refers to “healing.” In our modern understanding, a miracle is something that cannot be explained within the context of what we consider to be the laws of nature. However, this conception of a miracle is entirely foreign to the men and women of the Bible. For the people of the Bible, there are no laws of nature. Nature is entirely subject to the will and omnipotence of God, Who acts within it as He sees fit and whenever He chooses. For the people of the Bible, there are no miracles; there are simply “mirabilia Dei,” “wonders of God”—that is, more striking acts through which God manifests His omnipotence. And not all the marvelous deeds performed by Jesus are primarily manifestations of omnipotence, but rather manifestations of God’s merciful love toward humanity, especially the lowly, the suffering, and the victims of the forces of evil.
We are well aware of all the suffering that exists in today’s world, in the bodies and souls of our brothers and sisters in humanity. Let us ask Jesus to continue revealing in them—just as He did among the people of Galilee two millennia ago—the wonders of His Father’s merciful love.
Armand Veilleux