When
Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their
tents, so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved. “Why do you treat
your servant so badly?” Moses asked the LORD. “Why are you so displeased with
me that you burden me with all this people? Number
11:10-11
Taking
the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the
blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave
them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. Matthew 14:19B-20A
Piety
Rule of St. Benedict Chapter 52: On the
Oratory of the Monastery
Let the oratory be what it is called, a place
of prayer; and let nothing else be done there or kept there. When the Work of God is ended, let all go out in perfect silence, and
let reverence for God be observed, so that any sister who may wish to pray
privately will not be hindered by another's misconduct.
Study
The two Eucharist stories in today’s readings
present very different emotional ranges.
The people of Israel were grumbling about
their plight of eating manna in the desert and their emotions rubbed off on
Moses. However, the people fed by Jesus
were “satisfied.” Jesus on the other
hand was not in the same space.
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He just got the news that his cousin was
executed. He tried to grieve in private
but the people flocked to him. Jesus did
not take up the grumbling of Moses. He
took up the role of the provider. Jesus
did some of his best work at parties and this crowd was destined to be the part
of his one of his symbolic pre-Eucharistic banquets.
The grief over John also placed Jesus in the
peculiar emotional state. He knows that
when he institutes the true Eucharistic banquet, his emotions will be that of a
man who knows he will be led to the executioner as well. Yet, he triumphs over that and provides food
in abundance.
Action
St. Benedict wants us to have a special
reverence for the proper church or chapel.
However, to go to church these days – especially during summer vacation
season – people will show up in the most unlikely of demeanors. I revel in the fact that they take time from
vacation to show up. They may be finding
God in the mountains, the beaches and the amusement parks. Yet they take time to count the blessings with
which they have been blessed.
God sometimes shows up in the most unlikely
places. Today, we hear of two stories
where miracles occurred in the desert.
What unlikely place will God show up in your life today?
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