Breaking the Word

18^th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 7^th August 2023 – Numbers 11,4-15; Mt 14,22-36

Bold Confrontation

The first reading from the book of Numbers gives another account of the Israelites complaining against God because of their hunger in the desert. The target and scapegoat of their trouble was Moses, whom they blamed for their present situation. Poor Moses! He was caught in the middle between God and his chosen people. In great distress, Moses, the great intercessor, laments his calling and makes a complaint to God. He pours out genuinely his thoughts and feelings towards God. He wants to know why he has to carry the burden of blame when it was God’s own idea to bring the people out of Egypt. Moses felt he could no longer carry the burden alone. It’s so sad to see a great man of God prefer death than to carry on like this. He feels his divine calling is a heavy burden by which God has afflicted him and made him wretched. In reality, Moses lost his perspective and got his eyes off the Lord and on himself, something that’s easy to do in the difficult experiences of life.  However, a great consolation lies because Moses took all his burden unto the Lord and sought his counsel.

17^th Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 4^th August 2023 – Leviticus 23,1-37; Mt 13,54-58

Celebrations of Remembrance

The first reading from the book of Leviticus deals with the Jewish calendar and its major feasts. From the time of Moses until the time of Jesus, the first feast mentioned and celebrated each year was Passover-  the most important of all feasts. Following Passover and the feast of the Unleavened Bread was Pentecost, which is a thanksgiving feast after the grain harvest and the giving of the law on Mt.Sinai. In the fall, came the Day of Atonement and the feast of Booths, which commemorates their sinfulness and their traveling in the desert in tents. Most of the feasts spring from the “remembering” of the experiences dealing with the Exodus. The Israelites are told to remember and celebrate these key festivals throughout the year, so that they and their descendants will never forget what God has done for them, through the whole Exodus and journey to the Promised Land. At the same time, these celebrations affirm their unique identity and purpose.

Remembering can be both productive and also destructive. If we remember the good that has happened because of God’s working in our lives, it can lead us to a sense of appreciation and thankfulness. If we only remember what seems ordinary and fail to see the hand of God in our daily activities, we will not be able to accept even the great signs of God’s blessings. The correct perspective of remembering involves our attitude and our openness to God, in recognizing God at work even in small things of our daily activities. At times, one must see beyond the narrow perspective of our limited view of the past.