Tuesday, July 19, 2005
WEDNESDAY 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
JULY 20, 2005
WEDNESDAY 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
EXODUS 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."
MATTHEW 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."
REFLECTION
"Whoever has ears ought to hear"
The parable of the sower is one of the most important parables.
Appearing in three synoptic gospels, its importance is further
emphasized by its inclusion in the Sunday gospel.
Most of us have surely heard this parable. Many of us may also recall
its exact words. But how many of us can fully recall the explanation
Jesus gave to his disciples? Perhaps even fewer of us have reflected
more deeply on this parable and how it relates back to our own lives.
Maybe that is why our Lord Jesus said in one of his final reminders to
all of us: "Whoever has ears ought to hear."
Have the thorns and thistles brought on in our daily lives so
deafened us from hearing the soft and comforting Word of God? Are we
the footpath, or our souls rocky ground? Or, perhaps, are we among the
thorns, or the rich soil?
When we read this parable, perhaps we need to ask ourselves: Have the
"ears of our hearts" heard what the Word of God wants to tell us? Have
we opened our hearts to listen to what God is telling us through the
everyday circumstances in our lives? Do we try to spend time listening
to God in silence or through the scripture?
PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, Thank you for everything. All creation
proclaims your glory. Grant us the grace to grow in love with your Word
so that as we respond more fully to Your love, we may produce good
fruit for your glory.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the health of Tita Chan.
- for the guidance and prayer intentions of John Chan.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Mr. Roberto C. Villasol.
Eternal rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May
he rest in peace.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Daily Prayer Diary.
- In Memoriam: Catalina Cang Yu
- In Memoriam: Yan Ching Bee
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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