THURSDAY, SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Ex 19: 1-2, 9-11, 16-20 Dn 3: 52- 56 Mt 13: 10-17
AM I AMONG THE BLESSED?
The readings of today present us with two different groups of listeners. In the first reading, the people hear thunder; they see fire, smoke, lightening and are terrified by the sight and the sounds they experience around them. In their very midst, however, is Moses who seems completely at ease and at peace. He listens to something beyond all the background music. His ears, his heart, his whole being is attuned to something beyond the sensory experience of the entire Israelite community. While the others experience tumult, Moses serenely listens to God. A similar experience is that of the people in the gospel – minus the grandiose sensory spectacle of Sinai. Jesus tells a parable and the disciples listen to mysteries being revealed, whereas the rest of the crowd merely hears a captivating story. What’s worse, perhaps, is that Jesus doesn’t even try to explain these mysteries. He just finishes his parable and leaves. Even the disciples are troubled and question him about his peculiar method of teaching.
God never forces anything upon us. It is our overall attitude and disposition towards Him that ultimately decides how we receive His Word. Jesus himself explains that the Word of God is not obscure. Rather it is we who choose to close our eyes and ears. It is a deliberate and intentional act. The Word of God always invites us to change or reform our way of thinking, acting and behaving. But often, the change may seem too demanding; it is always comfortable to keep lingering in the old familiar complacent. These are the times we choose to close our eyes and ears or, like the Israelites, shrink in fear and satisfy ourselves with some sensory of emotional feeling without allowing the Word to actually penetrate into our hearts. The choice is ours to listen and to open our hearts to God. May we be counted among the ‘blessed’ whose eyes see and whose ears hear. Let us begin by asking for an open heart.
Response: You are to be praised and highly exalted forever!
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