The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the state of our readiness to accept the grace of God that will transform us into people eager to follow the Divine path to full life.
Able to receive the seed
The reading from the Book of Exodus describes how God addressed the hunger of the Israelites with bread from Heaven.
* [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.1
Psalm 78 declares God’s Goodness and Israel’s ingratitude.
* [78:23–31] On the manna and the quail, see Ex 16 and Nm 11. Unlike Ex 16, here both manna and quail are instruments of punishment, showing that a divine gift can become deadly because of Israel’s apostasy.2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches 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.3
Dennis Hamm, S.J. comments that both sets of imagery (people pictured as both seeds and soil) work together to describe a way of living that resists everything that the figure of “the evil one” (the Satan) stands for — by hearing deeply with the heart, sinking deep roots, resisting the lure of whatever constitutes the “riches” of our life (privilege, advantage, power, security).
This is enough, Lord Jesus. It is time to stop and pray about where this pondering about a single parable has taken me, simply by listening to it within its context of Matthew’s discourse package within his distinctive gospel. Thanks, first of all, for the leisure and schooling that has helped me hear afresh the familiar sower parable in the garden of parables of a single chapter, and within a vast forest of all the parables in this gospel. Those numerous crowds waiting for the teacher to speak — now I understand them as pointing to all those fellow human beings hungering for the good news that Jesus means for them to know and act upon — if I and my fellow Christians would only learn to share better what we have come to know through the gifts of tradition, community, narrative and practices that are traceable to you. Where we encounter others as insiders meeting outsiders, move us to the kind of dialogue that our leader Francis calls for and demonstrates, a dialogue that listens for signs of our common origin as fellow creatures, responsible for one another in our common home, and destined for the common destiny of the life with you that we believe is part of that New Creation that we label with that pale word eternal. I think I am beginning to understand why you are sitting there as you teach us. Thy kingdom come. Meanwhile, give this day our daily bread. Forgive us as we forgive.4
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)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 comments that God doesn’t punish us for complaining. He sees the fear that often lurks in the background. For instance, if we complain that our adult children don’t seem attentive to our needs, it may be because we fear that we will be left alone in our old age. Or if we complain about being stuck in our job, it may be because we fear that we won’t earn enough money to support our family.
Struggles like these can make us feel as if we are wandering in a lifeless desert with no hope of rescue. But even in tough times, when fear is strong and anxiety seems to have an iron grip on us, God wants to comfort us and bring us his peace. He doesn’t want to encourage our complaints—but if they come his way, he can handle them. He understands. He can calm the fears behind the grumbling and help us to entrust our lives—and even our fears—to him. “Thank you, Father, for your patience and compassion when I am fearful.”6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the nature of the “bread from Heaven” given to the Israelites in the desert. The Parable of the Sower is connected to the Great Commandment and the “Shema Israel”. Friar Jude reminds us that we have to prepare to accept our role in the “very great harvest”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that in Elias Chacour’s book “We Belong to the Land” there is a marvelous description of a beatitude that enhances our understanding of what Jesus means when he says “blessed are you.”
“Blessed” is the translation of the word makarioi, used in the Greek New Testament. However, when I look further back to Jesus’ Aramaic, I find that the original word was ashray, from the verb yashar. Ashray does not have this passive quality to it at all. Instead, it means “to set yourself on the right way for the right goal; to turn around, repent.”. . . How could I go to a persecuted young man in a Palestinian refugee camp, for instance, and say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” or “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”? That man would revile me, saying neither I nor my God understood his plight and he would be right. When I understand Jesus’ words in Aramaic, I translate like this: Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for you shall be satisfied. Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you peacemakers, for you shall be called children of God.7
We attend to the promptings of the Spirit to become the good soil in which our work as disciples will bear much fruit.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment