20190724 DISCONTENTMENT
24 JULY, 2019,
Wednesday, 16th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Exodus 16:1-5,9-15 ©
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The Lord sends quails and manna from
heaven
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From Elim they set out, and the whole
community of the sons of Israel reached the wilderness of Sin – between
Elim and Sinai – on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had
left Egypt. And the whole community of the sons of Israel began to complain
against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and said to them, ‘Why did we not die
at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we were able to sit down to pans
of meat and could eat bread to our heart’s content! As it is, you have brought
us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to death!’
Then
the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now I will rain down bread for you from the heavens.
Each day the people are to go out and gather the day’s portion; I propose to
test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not. On the
sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, this will be twice as
much as the daily gathering.’
Moses
said to Aaron, ‘To the whole community of the sons of Israel say this, “Present
yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaints.”’ As Aaron was
speaking to the whole community of the sons of Israel, they turned towards the
wilderness, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the form of a
cloud. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaints of
the sons of Israel. Say this to them, “Between the two evenings you shall eat
meat, and in the morning you shall have bread to your heart’s content. Then you
will learn that I, the Lord, am your God.”’ And so it came about: quails flew
up in the evening, and they covered the camp; in the morning there was a
coating of dew all round the camp. When the coating of dew lifted, there on the
surface of the desert was a thing delicate, powdery, as fine as hoarfrost on
the ground. When they saw this, the sons of Israel said to one another, ‘What
is that?’ not knowing what it was. ‘That’ said Moses to them ‘is the bread the
Lord gives you to eat.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 77(78):18-19,23-28 ©
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The Lord gave them bread
from heaven.
In their heart they put God to the test
by demanding the food they
craved.
They even spoke against God.
They said: ‘Is it possible for
God
to prepare a table in the
desert?’
The Lord gave them bread
from heaven.
Yet he commanded the clouds above
and opened the gates of
heaven.
He rained down manna for their food,
and gave them bread from
heaven.
The Lord gave them bread
from heaven.
Mere men ate the bread of angels.
He sent them abundance of
food;
he made the east wind blow from heaven
and roused the south wind by
his might.
The Lord gave them bread
from heaven.
He rained food on them like dust,
winged fowl like the sands of
the sea.
He let it fall in the midst of their camp
and all around their tents.
The Lord gave them bread
from heaven.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:36,29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Bend my heart to your will, O Lord,
and teach me your law.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the
sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for
ever.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 13:1-9 ©
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A sower went out to sow
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Jesus left the house and sat by the
lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and
sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in
parables.
He
said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the
edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of
rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there
was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and,
not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their
crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has
ears!’
DISCONTENTMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ex 16:1-5. 9-15; Ps 78:18-19, 23-28; Mt 13:1-9 ]
We are always craving
for more and more.
The word “enough” or “satisfied” is not in our vocabulary. We seem to
have an abyss that cannot be filled by anything in this world. The
dissatisfaction of the Israelites in the first reading is reflective of our own
restlessness. When they were in slavery in Egypt, they were complaining and
lamenting. The Lord then said to Moses, “I have observed the misery of my
people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their
taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to
deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a
good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the
Canaanites.” (Ex 3:7f)
Having been delivered
from Egypt and on the way to the Promised Land, “the whole community of the
sons of Israel began to complain against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and said to them,
‘ Why did we not die at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we were able
to sit down to pans of meat and could eat bread to our heart’s content! As it
is, you have brought us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to
death!'” Clearly, the real cause of their misery was not physical slavery
but the slavery of the flesh to the things of this world. Like them, we
all desire physical comfort and material satisfaction. So the Lord gave
them bread, meat and water in the desert.
We, too, are never happy
in life, regardless of what we have and who we are. When we were living in a one-room
flat, we desired to upgrade to a five-room flat. Having acquired a
five-room flat we are also not satisfied. We want a condominium
unit. So, too, with other things: whether digital devices, phones,
computers, TVs, or other electrical appliances. We want the latest and the
best. Few are satisfied with their careers and their salary. So our
happiness is short-lived simply because we have a heart that is restless and
easily tire of what we have after some time.
Today, the scripture
readings invite us to seek what can truly give rest to our hearts. It is
the Word of God. When
the devil tempted Jesus to change stones into bread, Jesus replied, “One does
not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of
God.” (Mt 4:4) Prophet Isaiah says, “Ho,
everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy
and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you
spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that
which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and
delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen,
so that you may live.” (Isa 55:1-3)
The great thing about
the Word of God, as the prophet Isaiah says, is free. This is precisely what the Parable
of the Sower underscores, the graciousness of God. He said, ‘Imagine a sower
going out to sow. Where did he sow the seed? Everywhere he went. It
is sowed on the edge of the path, the rocky ground, among thorns and on rich
soil. In other words, God gives His Word freely to all. There is no
price for it. The Word of God is not restricted to a certain class of
people, who are educated or intelligent, but also to the simple and
uneducated. One does not have to be educated in order to hear and receive
the Word of God. It is for all without exception, particularly for
sinners and those who are lost in life.
However, there are
conditions, not so much on the side of God but on the side of man. It
depends on his receptivity and docility. To receive the Word of God depends on what
kind of soil we are. It depends on whether we are open to His Word and
allow the Word of God to take root in our minds and in our hearts.
Receptivity and faith is the key to uncovering the secrets of the Word of God,
its wisdom and its efficacious power. (cf Isa 55:10f)
This requires that we
are ready to seize the opportunity to receive the Word of God. Jesus said, “as he sowed, some
seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them
up.” If we are serious about wanting to be nourished by the Word of
God, there are many avenues available today. We can find daily scripture
reflections and free bible study and bible commentaries on so many
websites. There are courses and programs available at our Catholic
Theological Institute and parishes. Many of you felt the thirst to enroll
in these programs but never got to do it. Because of delay and
postponement, we end up never getting started. This is what it means that
the Word of God is sowed but the birds ironically are the ones that seize the opportunity
and take away the seeds. They did not wait. The moment they saw the
seeds, they ate them up.
Then again, Jesus said,
“others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up
straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were
scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away.” This, again, is
often the case of many Catholics and converts. When they were going
through RCIA, they were fervent and disciplined in reading the Word of God and
growing in knowledge of their faith. So, too, are those who have been
renewed in the faith through some retreat or have encountered a
God-experience. After the spiritual high, they did not follow up with the
faith received. Without deepening their faith and their knowledge and
understanding of the Word of God, their enthusiasm cannot last.
Unfortunately, the bulk of our Catholics belong to this category. Many of
our young confirmands leave the Church soon after receiving the Sacrament
because they never took their catechesis seriously. There was no real
formation and thus they often do not last. Many of them end up as nominal
Catholics or Sunday Catholics at most. They hardly pray or attend church
services. They do not know anything about the Word of God and have no
personal relationship with the Lord.
Others are drawn away
from the Word of God simply because of suffering in their lives. We read
that some seeds “fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” It is easy to speak about faith in God and
in His love and mercy when things are going well for us. But when tragedy
strikes or we face injustices in life, we begin to wander whether God is real
or whether the Church is truly the Church of Christ and that He guarantees the
stability of the Church. How could we still speak of God’s love for us
when we are suffering from terminal illnesses or an unfortunate accident that
crippled us, or a breakdown in marriage or relationship? Worse still are
those who suffer injustices in the Catholic community, whether as workers or
volunteers, especially from church leaders. We find it extremely difficult to
reconcile holiness with the sinful reality of the Church in such
instances. Those who have been hurt by the Church or disillusioned with
God would eventually leave the Church because of bitterness.
Blessed are those with
rich soil to welcome the Word of God.
The Lord said, they will “produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty,
some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!” Those who have ears to
listen to the Word of God and are prepared to enter deeply into a deeper
relationship with the Lord will live a fruitful life. Indeed, the
Word of God will teach us how to live our lives in such a way that we are
receptive to His Will and Wisdom for us in His divine plans. Happiness in
life comes from living our lives with integrity by being committed to our work
and tasks assigned to us, being faithful to our commitments, giving our best to
those entrusted to our care, our family and loved ones, our colleagues,
community and society. When we live a righteous life, enjoy whatever
pleasures the Lord gives to us in gratitude and thanksgiving, and share our
joys and blessings with others, we will find contentment in life.
This is the way to share in the life and love of God. When we are not
attached to the world but use what the world offers us for love and service,
and make use of what is given, we will always find peace and joy. It is
not how much we own or have that matters but how much we love. When
we live our life in faith and trust in divine providence, accepting whatever
comes our way, doing all we can within our means, cooperating with His grace,
and with the help and consolation of friends, we will find happiness, joy and
meaning.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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