Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Indeed, the Old Testament readings of this week have been the most important of the entire weeks in the liturgical year. Today, we have another significant episode of our salvation history being revealed – the Ten Commandments. These commandment form the core of the Covenant that God made with the people of Israel (tomorrow’s reading). Please be aware of the gradual revelation of God as the readings have progressed over the past month or so. Abraham knew very little about God except that God had made him a promise of a nation. This was the case also with Isaac, and Jacob. Then at the burning bush, God revealed himself as the redeemer and savior to Moses – the great “I AM” who would free the people from slavery. Now on the top of the Mount Sinai, he reveals himself a little more. He reveals not only his will (the Ten Commandments), but also his self (I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God). Of course, as time goes by, the prophets would make the will of Lord even more clear.

Remember what Jesus had said in yesterday’s gospel reading? “Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” The greatest asset of the people of Israel was the fact that they knew God’s will. As Christians we are perhaps even luckier than the people of the Old Testament.

The implications of today’s readings are simple. Knowing and living by God’s will is like driving on a well marked highway what tells exactly where we are going. Either avoiding or disregarding highway traffic signs is to put our own lives and the lives of other in jeopardy. But beyond that, more important than the blind following of the laws is our relationship with God. If we love God with all our heart, as the first reading tells us, then, doing God’s will is easy. In the same way, the more we live by God’s will, the more deeply we begin to love God.

Perhaps, that is how the parable of the sower (today’s gospel readings) should be interpreted. Let our hearts and lives be fertile ground where God’s will is done.

- Fr. Satish Joseph