Power and Parables

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to revisit the impressions we may have of God and the role of our relationship with Jesus through love, mercy, and compassion.

Learning Love and Liturgy

The reading from the Book of Exodus proclaims The Great Theophany.

* [19:2] Apparently from a different source (P) than v. 1, which notes the date, v. 2 from the J source includes a second notice of the arrival in the wilderness of Sinai. The Israelites now will be camped at Sinai from this point on all the way to Nm 10:10. This is a striking indication of the centrality and importance of the Sinai narrative in the overall composition of the Pentateuch.

* [19:16] Shofar: a ram’s horn used like a trumpet for signaling both for liturgical and military purposes. (Exodus, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Response from the Book of Daniel proclaims Praise and Exaultation for God.

* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures. (Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains the Purpose of Parables.

* [13:11] Since a parable is figurative speech that demands reflection for understanding, only those who are prepared to explore its meaning can come to know it. To understand is a gift of God, granted to the disciples but not to the crowds. In Semitic fashion, both the disciples’ understanding and the crowd’s obtuseness are attributed to God. The question of human responsibility for the obtuseness is not dealt with, although it is asserted in Mt 13:13. The mysteries: as in Lk 8:10; Mk 4:11 has “the mystery.” The word is used in Dn 2:18, 19, 27 and in the Qumran literature (1QpHab 7:8; 1QS 3:23; 1QM 3:9) to designate a divine plan or decree affecting the course of history that can be known only when revealed. Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven means recognition that the kingdom has become present in the ministry of Jesus.

* [13:12] In the New Testament use of this axiom of practical “wisdom” (see Mt 25:29; Mk 4:25; Lk 8:18; 19:26), the reference transcends the original level. God gives further understanding to one who accepts the revealed mystery; from the one who does not, he will take it away (note the “theological passive,” more will be given, what he has will be taken away).

* [13:13] Because ‘they look…or understand’: Matthew softens his Marcan source, which states that Jesus speaks in parables so that the crowds may not understand (Mk 4:12), and makes such speaking a punishment given because they have not accepted his previous clear teaching. However, his citation of Is 6:9–10 in Mt 13:14 supports the harsher Marcan view.

* [13:16–17] Unlike the unbelieving crowds, the disciples have seen that which the prophets and the righteous of the Old Testament longed to see without having their longing fulfilled. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that much of the passage relies on Isaiah’s prophesy that the people can look but not truly see, and hear but not truly understand, and as such  have “gross” hearts. 

There is so much that I don’t truly comprehend from Christ’s teaching, so much of God’s word that is difficult to absorb.  Am I the person who doesn’t truly see, understand, and love God with my whole heart?  Am I among those who will have everything taken away?  Jesus told the disciples that many prophets and faithful people had fallen short in their attempts to do so - who am I to hope that I’m better than they?

Ahhh, but I’m a New Testament Christian, eager to believe in God’s Grace.  So I’ll cling to the closing phrase from Isaiah’s prophesy:

“lest they see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their hearts and be converted

and I heal them.”

My prayer today is to ask that God continue, always, to open wide my heart, my eyes, and my ears, that I may be truly converted and healed.  That I may one day know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.  And as importantly for this Christian, that I would live them out in my daily life on earth, sharing light and love with all people.  Amen. (Grassmeyer, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Ears that refuse to hear,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"Faith perceives the mysteries of the kingdom. A person will make progress in those things he has been immersed in and will abound with an increase in that progress. But in those things he has not been immersed in, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. In other words, he suffers the loss of the law from the loss of his faith. Lacking faith, the people of the law lost even the efficacy of the law. Therefore, gospel faith receives a perfect gift, because it enriches with new fruit those things that have been undertaken. But once it is rejected, even the help of one's former means of support is taken away. (excerpt from a commentary ON MATTHEW 13.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20 comments that our first reading may have given people the idea that the “Old Testament God” is terrifying and violent, ready to strike us down when we do something wrong. He’s not like the God of the New Testament, who is loving and merciful.

But that’s a serious misinterpretation. God is God and he never changes.

God never changes. His demonstrations of power are always expressions of his love. No matter how he reveals himself, it is always meant to bring us his blessings.

“Lord, all power and glory are yours, forever and ever.” (Meditation on Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20, n.d.)

 

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Exodus passage and how the Israelites approach the mountain of the Lord made manifest in a powerful theophany that God uses to communicate through Moses. He compares it to when Elijah finds God on the same mountain in a gentle way. Why does Jesus teach in parables? Jesus is not hiding but expressing things in the simplest way and even then people reject Him. The proclamation in Matthew that many Prophets would like to see and hear is a call to us to respond to our revelation through the Church with generosity.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Theologian Meggan Watterson who describes the source of what she calls “sacred rage”. Watterson affirms our inherent goodness as the source of both rage and healing.

Rage and goodness are not mutually exclusive. Rage is often necessary in order to draw fierce boundaries when we or those we love or those we feel connected to are being harmed. And rage is necessary to remind us of our innate goodness. We’re angry because we are good, because we recognize, we know innately, what is good. Rage, like a slow controlled burn, can fuel and inform us….  

Rage is information. Rage is not an action plan. Rage holds no answers for what’s next. And it can quickly galvanize action. Yet, if we act only from that rage, if we move the way rage wants us to move, we will cause harm to ourselves and others. So when we go to take action, we must first intentionally return to love. Rage informs us about what we love, and love moves us to act in ways only love knows. (Rohr, n.d.)

We may find the power of God more familiar than the care of God for our needs that include understanding of the Love and Gentle encouragement to understand the Way of Jesus.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?52 

Exodus, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/19?1 

Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-24-2025 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?10 

Meditation on Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. https://wau.org/meditations/2025/07/24/1339210/ 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Rage and Goodness. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/rage-and-goodness/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Many Longed to Hear What You Hear. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jul24 

Love and Providence

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the role of Providence in caring for our needs and the attention we need to pay to love that requires our intellect, perseverance, and resources to grow and bear fruit.

Providence and Love

The Reading from the Book of Exodus describes Providence in the The Quail and the Manna.

* [16:1] On the fifteenth day of the second month: just one full month after their departure from Egypt. Cf. 12:2, 51; Nm 33:3–4. The Septuagint takes the date to be the beginning of the Israelites’ grumbling.

* [16:4] Bread from heaven: as a gift from God, the manna is said to come down from the sky. Cf. Ps 78:24–25; Wis 16:20. Perhaps it was similar to a natural substance that is still found in small quantities on the Sinai peninsula—probably the honey-like resin from the tamarisk tree—but here it is, at least in part, clearly an extraordinary sign of God’s providence. With reference to Jn 6:32, 49–52, the Christian tradition has regarded the manna as a type of the Eucharist. Test: as the text stands, it seems to leave open the question whether the test concerns trusting in God to provide them with the daily gift of food or observing the sabbath instructions.

* [16:15] What is this: the Hebrew man hu is thus rendered by the ancient versions, which understood the phrase as a popular etymology of the Hebrew word man, “manna”; but some render man hu, “This is manna.” (Exodus, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 78 is a recital of  God’s Action in history.

* [Psalm 78] A recital of history to show that past generations did not respond to God’s gracious deeds and were punished by God making the gift into a punishment. Will Israel fail to appreciate God’s act—the choosing of Zion and of David? The tripartite introduction invites Israel to learn the lessons hidden in its traditions (Ps 78:1–4, 5–7, 8–11); each section ends with the mention of God’s acts. There are two distinct narratives of approximately equal length: the wilderness events (Ps 78:12–39) and the movement from Egypt to Canaan (Ps 78:40–72). The structure of both is parallel: gracious act (Ps 78:12–16, 40–55), rebellion (Ps 78:17–20, 56–58), divine punishment (Ps 78:21–31, 59–64), God’s readiness to forgive and begin anew (Ps 78:32–39, 65–72). (Psalms, PSALM 78 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims The Parable of the Sower.

* [13:3–8] Since in Palestine sowing often preceded plowing, much of the seed is scattered on ground that is unsuitable. Yet while much is wasted, the seed that falls on good ground bears fruit in extraordinarily large measure. The point of the parable is that, in spite of some failure because of opposition and indifference, the message of Jesus about the coming of the kingdom will have enormous success.

* [13:3] In parables: the word “parable” (Greek parabolē) is used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew māshāl, a designation covering a wide variety of literary forms such as axioms, proverbs, similitudes, and allegories. In the New Testament the same breadth of meaning of the word is found, but there it primarily designates stories that are illustrative comparisons between Christian truths and events of everyday life. Sometimes the event has a strange element that is quite different from usual experience (e.g., in Mt 13:33 the enormous amount of dough in the parable of the yeast); this is meant to sharpen the curiosity of the hearer. If each detail of such a story is given a figurative meaning, the story is an allegory. Those who maintain a sharp distinction between parable and allegory insist that a parable has only one point of comparison, and that while parables were characteristic of Jesus’ teaching, to see allegorical details in them is to introduce meanings that go beyond their original intention and even falsify it. However, to exclude any allegorical elements from a parable is an excessively rigid mode of interpretation, now abandoned by many scholars. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Joan Blandin Howard comments that this reading reminds her of the tv commercial of the kindergarten teacher who while wiggling her fingers and smiling says, “You can never have too much glitter!”

In today’s gospel reading, we hear of The Sower, Jesus indiscriminately flinging out fistfuls of seed, glittering  graces landing on each of us - we rich, we poor, we lame and disfigured, we healthy, we the just, we the unjust, we warriors and we peace keepers.  Jesus glitters, graces each one of us with His love, His joy, His hope. Not because of who I am, what I do or not do, but soley because I am.  I am His. He loves and cares for me.  God takes me as I am.  God wants our best selves to glitter with His endless supply of grace. So, He keeps sowing glittering grace upon all of us!!  I invite us today to notice a seed of glittering grace on me and on someone else.  Notice how this makes you feel! Notice your own body language. (Blandin Howard, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Shallow and rootless minds,” by Cyril of Alexandria (375-444 AD).

"Let us look, as from a broader perspective, at what it means to be on the road. In a way, every road is hardened and foolish on account of the fact that it lies beneath everyone's feet. No kind of seed finds there enough depth of soil for a covering. Instead, it lies on the surface and is ready to be snatched up by the birds that come by. Therefore those who have in themselves a mind hardened and, as it were, packed tight do not receive the divine seed but become a well-trodden way for the unclean spirits. These are what is here meant by 'the birds of the heaven.' But 'heaven' we understand to mean this air, in which the spirits of wickedness move about, by whom, again, the good seed is snatched up and destroyed. Then what are those upon the rock? They are those people who do not take much care of the faith they have in themselves. They have not set their minds to understand the touchstone of the mystery [of communion with Christ]. The reverence these people have toward God is shallow and rootless. It is in times of ease and fair weather that they practice Christianity, when it involves none of the painful trials of winter. They will not preserve their faith in this way, if in times of tumultuous persecution their soul is not prepared for the struggle." (Excerpt from FRAGMENT 168) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 comments that the manna would serve as a constant reminder that they belonged to the Lord—and that he had covenanted himself to them. He would take care of them no matter what.

God told the Israelites that he would give them manna, “that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God” (Exodus 16:12). He says the very same thing to you when he gives you exactly what you need—that you may know that he is God.

“Lord, I praise you for your unending mercy and compassion!” (Meditation on Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the Exodus passage the Israelites complain of not having bread or meat to eat. The Lord provides a type of bread like coriander seeds that they can grind up to make bread There confusion is expressed in “ Man hu” or What is it? God feeds and satisfies their deepest hunger. The parable of the Sower resonates with the Great Commandment. Seed on the path is about loving God with our intellect. Rocky ground represents loving in persecution and thorns are love of God over love of material wealth. Friar Jude reminds us of the “persecution of pinpricks” that threaten our love of God.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that if we believe the Creator is always critiquing, judging, and punishing everything, it should be no surprise that our entire world is bathed in rage and resentment. Isn’t this, in fact, much of our experience today? Someone must show us the way through. It cannot be done by law or order, but with a remembering of the great and divine pity modeled and taught by saints and prophets. 

I surely believe some form of projection of our anger onto others is at the heart of the nonstop world wars of “Christian” nations. It’s at the center of those cultures that encourage punitive or emotionally withholding parents or people with “stiff upper lips.” Crying, at its best, teaches us to hold the emotion instead of projecting it elsewhere.  

In Jeremiah’s prophecies, all hopes for the future of the Jewish people lie in those who endured a three-stage process of transformation: first, those who entered into exile; second, those who retained hope and did not turn bitter during that exile; and third, those who returned from exile with generativity and praise in their hearts instead of self-pity.  

These people are the change agents for culture, paralleling the classic three stages of purgation, illumination, and union. Each of these stages operates as a change agent in different ways. Into, through, and back home could well be the necessary movements for any of us. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

We invite the Spirit to illuminate our journey to reveal our contribution of intellect, endurance, and material resources to supporting the Love of God as motivation to live a full life.

References

Blandin Howard, J. (2025, July 23). Daily Reflection July 23, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-23-2025 

Exodus, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/16?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13 

Meditation on Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/07/23/1338524/ 

Psalms, PSALM 78 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/78?18 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Faithful to the Journey. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/faithful-to-the-journey/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Since They Had No Root They Withered Away. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jul23