Today’s readings present us with a profound revelation about God’s presence and His desire to be intimately involved in the lives of His people—both in the Old and the New Covenant. They draw our attention to the mystery of God's closeness in times of desperation and isolation, and the way He invites us to trust in His promises even when everything seems uncertain.
In our first reading from Genesis, we meet Jacob at a pivotal point in his life. He is fleeing from his brother Esau, who intends to kill him after Jacob deceived him and took the blessing meant for the firstborn. Jacob is not only on a physical journey to Haran, but also on a spiritual one. He is, at this moment, a man in exile—away from his family, afraid, and uncertain about his future. He stops for the night in a desolate place, alone under the stars, using a stone as a pillow. There is something very human and relatable about this scene: Jacob, the schemer and wanderer, now lies vulnerable and exposed.
But it is precisely in this moment of vulnerability that God reveals Himself. Jacob has a dream of a stairway (or "ladder") that connects heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending. And at the top of this mysterious ladder, or standing beside him, is the Lord Himself. God reaffirms the covenant He made with Abraham and Isaac: that Jacob's descendants would be many, that the land would be theirs, and that through his family all the nations of the earth would find blessing. Then He adds something especially personal: “Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go... I will never leave you.”
This is a profound turning point. Jacob, who thought he was alone and perhaps even estranged from God because of his deceitful past, discovers that the Lord is not far away. In awe, he exclaims: “Truly the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it!” He names the place Bethel—“house of God.” What was once just a rock-strewn field becomes a sanctuary, because Jacob has encountered the living God there.
Is this not the experience of so many of us? In our moments of hardship, loss, or guilt—when we feel cast out or unsure—God often chooses to meet us. He doesn't wait until we are in perfect condition. He appears in our exile, in our wilderness, in our brokenness. He reminds us: “I am with you. I will protect you. I will not abandon you.”
This same truth is brought to life even more vividly in today’s Gospel from Matthew. Jesus is approached by a desperate synagogue official whose daughter has just died. This is not a simple sickness—death has entered the picture, what Sacred Scripture calls Jesus’ and our final enemy, the greatest fear of humanity. But the man still dares to believe: “Lay your hand on her, and she will live.” On the way, another afflicted person approaches Jesus: a woman who has suffered for twelve long years with a hemorrhage. She doesn't even speak to Jesus directly; she merely touches the tassel of His cloak in faith, believing that even this small act will bring healing.
In both of these moments—public and personal—Jesus reveals that God is not distant. God walks among us, touches us, heals us. He enters the places of death, disease, and despair and transforms them. He silences the mockery of the crowd and lifts up the lowly. He calls the woman "daughter" and restores the official’s little girl to life. Through all these gestures of merciful love, He shows us that what Jacob saw in a dream—the ladder between heaven and earth—is fulfilled in Him – the God who loves us and descended into our midst to be with us, to help, guide and save us for an eternity with Him.
God is not far off. He is closer than we think. And He is always faithful to His promises.
Amen.
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