July 24, 2019 Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

2019년 7월 24일 연중 제16주간 수요일  

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp 

제1독서

탈출기. 16,1-5.9-15
1 이스라엘 자손들의 온 공동체는 엘림을 떠나, 엘림과 시나이 사이에 있는 신 광야에 이르렀다. 그들이 이집트 땅에서 나온 뒤, 둘째 달 보름이 되는 날이었다.
2 이스라엘 자손들의 온 공동체가 광야에서 모세와 아론에게 불평하였다.
3 이들에게 이스라엘 자손들이 말하였다. “아, 우리가 고기 냄비 곁에 앉아 빵을 배불리 먹던 그때, 이집트 땅에서 주님의 손에 죽었더라면! 그런데 당신들은 이 무리를 모조리 굶겨 죽이려고, 우리를 이 광야로 끌고 왔소?”
4 주님께서 모세에게 말씀하셨다. “이제 내가 하늘에서 너희에게 양식을 비처럼 내려 줄 터이니, 백성은 날마다 나가서 그날 먹을 만큼 모아들이게 하여라. 이렇게 하여 나는 이 백성이 나의 지시를 따르는지 따르지 않는지 시험해 보겠다. 5 엿샛날에는, 그날 거두어들인 것으로 음식을 장만해 보면, 날마다 모아들이던 것의 갑절이 될 것이다.”
9 모세가 아론에게 말하였다. “이스라엘 자손들의 온 공동체에게, ‘주님께서 너희의 불평을 들으셨으니, 그분 앞으로 가까이 오너라.’ 하고 말하십시오.” 10 아론이 이스라엘 자손들의 온 공동체에게 말하고 있을 때, 그들이 광야 쪽을 바라보니, 주님의 영광이 구름 속에 나타났다.
11 주님께서 모세에게 이렇게 이르셨다. 12 “나는 이스라엘 자손들이 불평하는 소리를 들었다. 그들에게 이렇게 일러라. ‘너희가 저녁 어스름에는 고기를 먹고, 아침에는 양식을 배불리 먹을 것이다. 그러면 너희는 내가 주 너희 하느님임을 알게 될 것이다.’”
13 그날 저녁에 메추라기 떼가 날아와 진영을 덮었다. 그리고 아침에는 진영 둘레에 이슬이 내렸다. 14 이슬이 걷힌 뒤에 보니, 잘기가 땅에 내린 서리처럼 잔 알갱이들이 광야 위에 깔려 있는 것이었다.
15 이것을 보고 이스라엘 자손들은 그것이 무엇인지 몰라, “이게 무엇이냐?” 하고 서로 물었다. 
모세가 그들에게 말하였다. “이것은 주님께서 너희에게 먹으라고 주신 양식이다.”

복음

마태오 13,1-9
1 그날 예수님께서는 집에서 나와 호숫가에 앉으셨다. 2 그러자 많은 군중이 모여들어, 예수님께서는 배에 올라앉으시고 군중은 물가에 그대로 서 있었다. 3 예수님께서 그들에게 많은 것을 비유로 말씀해 주셨다.
“자, 씨 뿌리는 사람이 씨를 뿌리러 나갔다. 4 그가 씨를 뿌리는데 어떤 것들은 길에 떨어져 새들이 와서 먹어 버렸다.
5 어떤 것들은 흙이 많지 않은 돌밭에 떨어졌다. 흙이 깊지 않아 싹은 곧 돋아났지만, 6 해가 솟아오르자 타고 말았다. 뿌리가 없어서 말라 버린 것이다.
7 또 어떤 것들은 가시덤불 속에 떨어졌는데, 가시덤불이 자라면서 숨을 막아 버렸다.
8 그러나 어떤 것들은 좋은 땅에 떨어져 열매를 맺었는데, 어떤 것은 백 배, 어떤 것은 예순 배, 어떤 것은 서른 배가 되었다.
9 귀 있는 사람은 들어라.” 

July 24, 2019

Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass 

Reading 1

Ex 16:1-5, 9-15
The children of Israel set out from Elim, 
and came into the desert of Sin,
which is between Elim and Sinai,
on the fifteenth day of the second month
after their departure from the land of Egypt.
Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel
grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The children of Israel said to them,
“Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!”

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation 
of the children of Israel:
Present yourselves before the LORD,
for he has heard your grumbling.”
When Aaron announced this to the whole assembly of the children of Israel,
they turned toward the desert, and lo,
the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud!
The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
“I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, “What is this?”
for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

Responsorial Psalm

78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28

R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
They tempted God in their hearts
by demanding the food they craved.
Yes, they spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the desert?”
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies above
and the doors of heaven he opened;
He rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread. 
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
He stirred up the east wind in the heavens,
and by his power brought on the south wind.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
And he rained meat upon them like dust,
and, like the sand of the sea, winged fowl,
Which fell in the midst of their camp
round about their tents. 
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Gospel

Mt 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 «The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed»

Fr. Julio César RAMOS González SDB
(Mendoza, Argentina)

Today, Jesus —in Matthew's Gospel— starts introducing us into the mysteries of the Kingdom, in that particular way that He likes to use by means of parables.

The seeds are the Word proclaimed and the sower is He. He is not trying to sow in the best possible soil to produce an excellent crop. He has come so that «they may have life, and have it to the full» (Jn 10:10). This is why He does not spare his seeds and generously throws handfuls of them onto the ground, whether it is «along the path» (Mt 13:4), or «on rocky ground» (key verse 5), or «among thistles» (key verse 7), or, finally, «on good soil» (key verse 8).

Thus, the seeds so generously sown produce the expected yield the “toponymic” possibilities allow. The Second Vatican Council tells us: «The word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly received the Kingdom. Then, by its own power the seed sprouts and grows until the harvest» (Lumen gentium, n. 5).

«Those who hear it with faith», says the Council. You are used to hear it, perhaps to read it and, maybe, to ponder over. Depending on the depth of your faith through hearing, such will be the fruits the crop will bear. Though, these fruits, somehow, are guaranteed by the vital power of the Word-seed, our responsibility in the attentive listening to the Word is no less important. This is why «If you have ears, then hear!» (Mt 13:9).

Today, ask the Lord the prophet’s yearning: «When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, Because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts» (Jer 15,16).

http:/onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 

Many, if not all, of us spend a lot of time grumbling. God hears us.  He demonstrated his compassion by hearing the grumbling of the Children of Israel as they roamed about the desert hungry and wondering if they were better off as slaves in Egypt.  God responded to them by feeding them manna and partridge.  It seems that even our miserable grumbling in our worst moments are heard as prayers by our compassionate God.  There surely are better forms to formally address our God, but the elements of prayer often are in our deepest, darkest thoughts. “We are starving, miserable, and lost in the desert, Lord, we were better off as slaves.” There was not a note of supplication, or faith, in God, but God heard this as a prayer; he fed them manna and meat.  God, in his mercy, will help us when we need it.  He not only nourished them with “bread from heaven”, but he gave them hope.  He made it possible for them to survive and multiply like good seed.

If you spend much time in the desert, you will appreciate the struggle that the wandering Children of Israel were enduring. The desert, the wilderness of Sin, on the Sinai Peninsula, was a scorched wasteland with few plants and only a few scattered tamarisk trees.  The path through the desert was not direct; the people walked, sometimes on a redundant, serpentine route. While trudging through this terrain, it would have been easy for them to lose hope. God gave them “bread from heaven”; they persevered.   God promised us the bread of life; he sent his son. We will persevere.

The alleluia, “the seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever,” summarizes the message that Jesus speaks to us in today’s gospel reading.  Jesus is speaking from a fishing boat that is floating just off the shore in the Sea of Galilee.  He spoke in words that resonated with the people; he spoke of seeds and sowing, good and bad soil, and invasive, strangling weeds. Success can be had if all goes well for the seeds. A happy and familiar ending for the seeds meant a good life for the people that he addressed. Jesus’ simple parable summarizes our own struggle to seek the best ground to nurture our faith. If we successfully avoid the weeds that we all live among, and spiritually dry and shallow places, we will thrive and produce fruit “a hundred-fold”.  Seek the good earth, grow in the spirit, and praise God. We surely will produce in many ways. Our daily lives, those whom we influence or influence us, and our service to others will, in fact, provide the good soil that faith must have in order to flourish.  

 http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

HAVE IT YOUR WAY?

"Would that we had died at the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!" �Exodus 16:3

The Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt. Pharaoh, the Egyptian king, so oppressed them that he had their foremen beaten for not producing their quota of bricks, although Pharaoh did not provide the straw needed to make bricks (Ex 5:14). Pharaoh also commanded that every Israelite baby boy be thrown into the river (Ex 1:22). Pharaoh so hardened his heart that he still pursued the Israelites even after every Egyptian first-born male was killed (Ex 12:29ff). Obviously, slavery under Pharaoh was a living hell. However, the Israelites wanted to return to slavery because they liked the food. So God gave the Israelites manna from heaven � "bread from heaven, ready to hand, untoiled-for, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste" (Wis 16:20). Yet, the Israelites wanted meat on their manna sandwiches, so the Lord sent them quail (Ex 16:13). However, the people were still dissatisfied. Food was more important to them than freedom. "Their god is their belly and their glory is in their shame. I am talking about those who are set upon the things of this world" (Phil 3:19). We too may have put greater value on the things of the world than on freedom in Jesus. If so, repent! "It was for liberty that Christ freed us. So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time!" (Gal 5:1)

Prayer: Father, may I "live in freedom � but not a freedom that gives free rein to the flesh" (Gal 5:13).

Promise: "Part of it, finally, landed on good soil and yielded grain a hundred- or sixty- or thirtyfold. Let everyone heed what he hears!" —Mt 13:8-9

Praise: St. Sharbel Makhluf was a Maronite monk noted as a miracle worker. He was influenced by St. Maron, for whom the Maronite Catholic Church is named. St. Sharbel is an example of the Church breathing with two lungs, East and West.

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

 "Since they had no root they withered away"

 Are you hungry for God's word? Matthew tells us that Jesus taught many things to those who came to listen and learn. Jesus' teaching method was a very simple one. He used parables - short stories and images taken from everyday life to convey hidden truths about the kingdom of God. Like a skillful artist, Jesus painted evocative pictures with short and simple words. A good image can speak more loudly and clearly than many words. Jesus used the ordinary everyday images of life and nature to point to another order of reality - hidden, yet visible to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". Jesus communicated with pictures and stories, vivid illustrations which captured the imaginations of his audience more powerfully than an abstract presentation could. His parables are like buried treasure waiting to be discovered (Matthew 13:44).

Sowing seeds that take root and grow
What does the parable about seeds and roots say to us about the kingdom of God? Any farmer will attest to the importance of good soil for supplying nutrients for growth. And how does a plant get the necessary food and water it needs except by its roots? The Scriptures frequently use the image of fruit-bearing plants or trees to convey the principle of spiritual life and death. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8; see also Psalm 1:3).

The shut mind and prejudiced hearer
Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to what he or she doesn't want to hear. Then there is the shallow hearer. He or she fails to think things out or think them through; they lack depth. They may initially respond with an emotional reaction; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else.

Too busy and preoccupied to listen
Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person is for ever too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word. He or she may work so hard that they are too tired to even think of anything else but their work. Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to it. Do you hunger for God's word?

"Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it."

Psalm 71:1-6,15,17

1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!
3 Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb.  My praise is continually of you.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: 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)

  

More Homilies

 July4 26, 2017 Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary