Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
We have certainly seen (and heard!) a lot of thunderstorms in this part of the country this summer. One last week left us without power for almost 24 hours. Large tree limbs fell and some whole trees were uprooted. I usually feel safe in the house during a storm, but not too far away a tree went through someone’s roof landing right where a man had been lying down just seconds earlier. I know I would be frightened if I was outside without shelter during a violent storm, which brings us to today’s first reading from Exodus, chapter 19.
Today’s readings present us with two rather different images of God. The Exodus reading shows us God revealed rather dramatically in what looks like a thunderstorm, earthquake and even smoke and fire. The Lord tells Moses he will be coming to him “in a dense cloud” so that the Israelites (who in yesterday’s reading had been complaining about Moses bringing them out to the desert although they were being freed from their slavery) will come to have faith in Moses as their leader, as well as faith in God (who provided food for them in the desert). Then the Lord speaks to Moses in the thunder as the mountain is smoking and trembling violently, and the people are afraid!
When we look at the Exodus reading next to today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 13:10-17), we see God as revealed not in a violent storm, but as a humble man, Jesus of Nazareth. You might think that this would be a much easier way to experience and understand God, and yet many of the people Jesus was speaking to did not understand and did not believe. The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the people in parables and the reply is that the disciples have been given knowledge of the kingdom of heaven. The passage goes on with another sort of parable or riddle, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Scripture scholars tell us that this statement is not about material wealth and riches, but about wisdom and understanding given as a gift from God. Further understanding is given to those who accept what has already been revealed to them (more “riches”), but from those who do not accept it, it will be taken away. We also know that since parables are a form of figurative speech that requires reflection to understand them, only those prepared to explore its meaning can come to know it.
Similarly, when I take the time to read, pray and reflect on the Scripture readings I am often surprised by the “riches” revealed to me in that time. As disciples of Christ, we are given the opportunity to receive the gift of greater understanding and be blessed as the first disciples were blessed with eyes that truly see and ears that truly hear what is being revealed by God.
Just as Moses and the Israelites could have only seen and heard a violent thunderstorm and missed the voice of God, the crowds listening to Jesus could have simply seen and heard a carpenter telling stories and riddles rather than hearing and seeing the Son of God revealing the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven.
Let us pray this week that our eyes and ears will be open to hear and see what God desires to reveal to us in both the big, thunderous events and small, quiet moments of our daily lives.
- Eileen Miller