Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 26, 2017 - Wednesday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 16:1-5, 9-15 and Matt 13:1-9]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." [Exodus]
JULY 26, STS. JOACHIM AND ANN (parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
The importance of this event from the Book of Exodus is reflected in the Gospel According to John [6:22-51] when Jesus says: "Amen. amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world." When we celebrate the Eucharist, we celebrate what Jesus' gave us at the Last Supper, which was a celebration of Passover and the subsequent journey in the desert. The "Bread of Life" discourse in the Gospel According to John follows the multiplication of loaves (the quail and fish seem to disappear). At the center of this, for our faith, is the gift of Jesus of his very self, his Body and Blood. We didn't even have to grumble for it!
The story of Moses and the Children of Israel will continue to occupy our attention because it is part of the story of our faith - the story of our roots. AMEN
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