July 5, 2021 – Monday of the 14^th Week in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070521.cfm)

 Know that I AM with you. This is the promise and assurance to Jacob as revealed by the Lord to him in his sleep. The Lord knows that the journey Jacob will take will not be easy. The journey will not just be filled with ups and downs on the road but Jacob shall also encounter trials that will shaken his faith. As Jacob will experience prosperity he too will be haunted by his guilt of the crime he committed against his brother, Esau.

However, despite his guilt, God saw something beyond Jacob’s sin. There in his heart lies the devotion and love to the Lord. Beyond Jacob’s sin, there was God’s mercy. This what made Jacob attuned to the revelations of God to him. Even in his sleep, God communicated to him and revealed the plan and promise to Jacob.

“Know that I AM with you,” is both an invitation and constant reminder to Jacob. It is an invitation for him to always seek the Lord who is always with him and has shown mercy to him. It is in seeking the Lord that he and his descendants shall become blessings to others. It is also a constant reminder to Jacob that he is not alone in his journey. As he fled his home after he deceived his father, Isaac and cheated his brother Esau, he left alone and with nothing. Indeed, it is when a person grows in his consciousness of God’s abiding presence that he also becomes a blessing to the communities and peoples around him. This is the promise Jacob also received from the Lord.

For us today, as we go through our own individual and common journey in faith, we too are invited like Jacob to know that God is with us. The words “I AM” is pregnant with meaning. This is the name that Moses received when we asked the name of God. “I AM” which is in present tense reminds us of God’s presence dwelling in the present moment. God, indeed, is always with us.

Know then, that no matter how difficult, confusing and tiring our journey and life at this moment, God is with us. Thus, for us, we are invited and reminded today to “know that I AM with you.”

As we rest in God’s promise and presence for us today, we may also discover how God unfolds His blessings for us in surprising ways. Hinaut pa.