The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today (and the Psalm from Daniel) resonate with the response we have to moments of awe and Spirit assisted clarity about the reality of our journey.
In the reading from the Book of Exodus, the Israelites reach Mount Sinai and the people are consecrated.
* [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. (Exodus, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Book of Daniel offers Glory and praise for ever!
* [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 the 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.)
Molly Mattingly suggests that we have at one point wished that God would be as clear to us as to the Israelites in today’s readings. “Give me a sign!” we say. “Tell me what you want me to do!”
And yet, even after preparing to hear God and see God, the people could not understand what God was saying to Moses. It sounded like thunder to them, but they knew it was God. They trusted Moses to interpret. In the Gospel reading, the people have God speaking directly to them in their language (like us, reading this scripture passage), and somehow find Jesus less clear than the cloud, thunder, lightning, and fire. What is going on here? The disciples certainly seem to think Jesus could be more direct. But then, the disciples believe that God is speaking to them in Jesus. They have been prepared with the foundation to receive what Jesus is saying, and even they don’t understand most of the parables on the first hearing. It seems likely to me that Jesus gives the truth in parables because a story or metaphor encourages us to wonder about the meaning, to reflect and interpret and discuss and pray about it in the context of our own lives. By that very process we can open our eyes, ears, and hearts to receive Jesus’ message and healing. It’s a collaborative process. (Mattingly, 2023)
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 Matthew 13:10-17 invites us to consider the tremendous gift that life in the kingdom is. It’s the chance to hear and understand God’s word.
These are just some of the “mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11). And they’re yours to receive in greater and greater amounts every time you come to him. “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear” (13:16)!
“Thank you, Lord, for bringing me into your kingdom! Help me share this gift with everyone I meet.” (Meditation on Matthew 13:10-17, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler describes the theophany experienced by Moses and the Israelites at Mt Sinai. God speaks to Elijah as a gentle breeze in contrast to the event at Mt. Sinai. Friar Jude reminds us of the blessing of our call and the gift of our mission to share Jesus' love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes contemplation as a practice by which we come to more accurate “seeing”. Contemplation is a kind of seeing that is much more than mere looking because it also includes recognizing and thus appreciating. The contemplative mind does not tell us what to see but teaches us how to see what we behold. In her book on spirituality and parenting, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg emphasizes the special awe that arises from paying attention to our ordinary lives.
The twentieth-century rabbi and theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel [1907–1972] wrote a lot about “radical amazement,” [2] that sense of “wow” about the world, which he claimed is the root of spirituality. It’s the kind of thing that people often experience in nature—at the proverbial mountaintop, when walking in the woods, seeing a gorgeous view of the ocean. But it’s also, I think, about bringing that sense of awe into the little things we often take for granted, or consider part of the background of our lives. This includes the flowers on the side of the road; the taste of ice cream in our mouths; … or to find a really, really good stick on the ground. And it also includes things we generally don’t even think of as pleasures, like the warm soapy water on our hands as we wash dishes. [3] (Rohr, 2023)
We are nudged by the Spirit to pause and take a contemplative breath and allow revelation of our blessedness to fill us with gratitude and praise.
References
Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?52
Exodus, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/19?
Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?
Mattingly, M. (2023, July 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072723.html
Meditation on Matthew 13:10-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/27/743633/
Rohr, R. (2023, July 27). Recognizing and Appreciating — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/recognizing-and-appreciating-2023-07-27/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jul27
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