(Optional Memorial for Saint Sharbel Makhluf,
Priest)
Readings
 |
| "The Israelites Gathering Manna" by Ercole de' Roberti, c. 1490 |
Reading 1: Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
The children of Israel
and came into the desert of Sin
which is between Elim and
Sinai,
on the fifteenth day of the
second month
after their departure from
the land of Egypt
Here in the desert the whole
assembly of the children of Israel
grumbled against Moses and
Aaron.
The children of Israel
"Would that we had died
at the LORD's hand in the land
of Egypt
as we sat by our fleshpots
and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into
this desert
to make the whole community
die of famine!"
Then the LORD said to Moses,
"I will now rain down
bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go
out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my
instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however,
when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as
they gather on the other days."
Then Moses said to Aaron,
"Tell the whole congregation
of the children of Israel
Present yourselves before the
LORD,
for he has heard your
grumbling."
When Aaron announced this to
the whole assembly of the children of Israel
they turned toward the
desert, and lo,
the glory of the LORD
appeared in the cloud!
The LORD spoke to Moses and
said,
"I have heard the
grumbling of the children of Israel
Tell them: In the evening
twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall
have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I,
the LORD, am your God."
In the evening quail came up
and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all
about the camp,
and when the dew evaporated,
there on the surface of the desert
were fine flakes like
hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the children of
Israel
for they did not know what it
was.
But Moses told them,
"This is the bread which
the LORD has given you to eat."
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Commentary on Ex 16:1-5, 9-15
Having
successfully escaped from Egypt and Pharaoh’s army, the Israelites now find
themselves in difficult surroundings with little food. In response to their
plight, God provides for them through the auspices of Moses by sending manna to
sustain them. This “bread from heaven” is seen as a gift from God; the
manna is said to come down from the sky (see also Psalm 78:25; Wisdom 16:20). Manna is also later compared by Christ
to the Eucharist he offers (see John 6: 31ff).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28
R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
They tempted God in their
hearts
by demanding the food they
craved.
Yes, they spoke against God,
saying,
"Can God spread a table
in the desert?"
R. The Lord gave them
bread from heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies
above
and the doors of heaven he
opened;
He rained manna upon them for
food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R. The Lord gave them
bread from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in
abundance.
He stirred up the east wind
in the heavens,
and by his power brought on
the south wind.
R. The Lord gave them
bread from heaven.
And he rained meat upon them
like dust,
and, like the sand of the
sea, winged fowl,
Which fell in the midst of
their camp
round about their tents.
R. The Lord gave them
bread from heaven.
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Commentary on Ps 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28
Psalm 78 is a
historical recital, recounting the encounter of the Israelites with God. It
emphasizes their rejection of his gifts, and the perceived punishments for
these rejections. In this selection the psalmist recalls the journey in the
wilderness, and the anger at God for leading them on without food. God answered
their plea with manna (Exodus 16:1ff).
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Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9
On that day,
Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds
gathered around him
that he got into
a boat and sat down,
and the whole
crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to
them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out
to sow.
And as he sowed,
some seed fell on the path,
and birds came
and ate it up.
Some fell on
rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at
once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun
rose it was scorched,
and it withered
for lack of roots.
Some seed fell
among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed
fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or
sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears
ought to hear.”
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Commentary on Mt 13:1-9
St. Matthew’s Gospel begins the
third great discourse of teachings on the Kingdom of God through parables. We
hear that Jesus is teaching from a boat, which would provide a natural
amphitheater, with the ground sloping to the shore. Here the Lord presents the
parable of the “Sower.” Jesus follows the unvarnished parable with a deeper
explanation to the disciples (Matthew 13: 18-23). As a
historical note, at that point in history in that region, when planting a
field, the seed was sown first and then the field was plowed.
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Reflection:
We pause to reflect on the
amazing imagery of the “Parable of the Sower.” The reason this parable is so
rich for us is that, not only do we look at it and see ourselves as the seed
(and the various circumstances of its growth), but we can also see ourselves as
the sower. We can even look at ourselves as the soil in which the seed falls.
If we see ourselves as the
seed, we concern ourselves with accepting God’s word in our hearts so we can
put out deep roots. When we do so we cannot be snatched away, the sun cannot
burn us and the weeds cannot choke us. We see the only way for us to do that is
by constant care and attention. We water ourselves with the sacraments, we feed
ourselves with the word of God and our roots become our prayer.
If we see ourselves as the
sower we must have the attitude of Christ. He knew that the life-giving words
he spoke would not generally fall on receptive ears (hence the reason for the
parable in the first place). He (and we) must accept that we have a task to do
as the sower. We must put the seeds of God’s love out there in that vast field
that is the world and trust God to watch over it.
When we see ourselves as the
soil, ah, that is something we can control. We can easily see the seeds of
faith in others. Sometimes that faith has germinated and we will be the rich
fertile soil that helps it grow. Other times it has not even germinated, we
encourage it providing examples and nurturing. Sometimes we see it choked by
weeds and we do our best to move that seed to a more wholesome environment. And
sometimes we see the seeds parched due to lack of nourishment and we do our
best to provide it. The hardest part of the parable of the sower is being the
soil.
Today let us pray that we
have the strength to be that seed in good ground. Let us ask God to help us be
good sowers of his love. And finally, we ask God to make us the best possible
soil, encouraging those around us to grow and helping them build the roots of
prayer that will sustain them.
Pax
[1]
The picture is "The Israelites Gathering Manna" by Ercole de'
Roberti, c. 1490.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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