July 20, 2011
Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
By Colleen O'Sullivan
Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The children of Israel said to them, “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!...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.” (Exodus 16:2-3, 11-12)
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.” (Matthew 13:3-9)
Piety
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
(St. Patrick, c. 460)
Study
Reading today’s story of the Israelites in the desert is a bit like looking in the mirror. We see so much of ourselves reflected in their words and actions. When adversity sets in, how quickly we forget the blessings God has already bestowed on us. We become discouraged and long for the “good old days,” which, if we’re honest with ourselves, had their ups and downs as well. We complain, sometimes bitterly. Instead of calling us ingrates, the Lord assures us that he will feed us and sustain us with bread from heaven. He will be with us every step of the way on our journey. God counters our discouragement with his encouraging words.
We see this in the parable of the sower, too. Many of Jesus’ followers were becoming discouraged. They couldn’t see anything happening that resembled their notion of the coming of the Kingdom of God. So, Jesus tells them this story of a farmer sowing seed in his field. When we hear the familiar words, we often get hung up on figuring out who the rocky soil represents, who’s got thorns or weeds in their field, etc. But I think Jesus was telling this parable with the emphasis more on the ending. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t give up. Just do your part in spreading the Word. God will prevail in the end and the harvest will be great!
Action
On Sunday I visited another parish and was struck by the words to one of the songs their choir sang:
You are the comforter so comfort me
You’re the sustainer so be enough for me
You are my Father and Your love for me
Is where I’ll find my rest.
(from “As Long As It Takes” by Meredith Andrews)
If you are discouraged about something, share it with the Lord when you are praying today.
