WORD 2day: Monday, 18th week in Ordinary time
August 5, 2019: Numbers 11:14-15; Matthew 14: 13-21
Discouragement in the life of a disciple is a moment to take stock and bounce back! Moses feels overburdened today, with the weight not just of carrying the people along, but of their obstinacy that prevented them from perceiving all that was so good and blessed around! The signs and wonders notwithstanding, the people decide to be unhappy and never to be convinced of the goodness that surrounds them.
As a disciple in ministry sometimes, all the good that is done and all the troubles that are taken seem to be ignored and much worse, interpreted wrongly! We see this discouragement in every person of God – apart from Moses presented today, Jeremiah (20:14-16), Paul, ... almost all the great prophets and disciples experienced it – Jesus was no exception.
Today we find Jesus, withdrawing to a secluded place after hearing the execution of John the Baptist. As if to have been reminded of his own fate to come, Jesus resorts to a time of solitude with the One who has sent him! Discouragements in our life too can be made moments of blessings if we opt to spend those moments with the right persons – first of all with God, who is always with us; then with persons of God who are given to us as reminders of God’s presence!
When these moments are utilized well, as moments to take stock, we can bounce back into action with a renewed spirit: as it happens with Moses, who grows so strong in his rapport with Yahweh who stood by his side all the while; like Jesus who comes up with the feat of feeding the multitude, as Yahweh did in the desert!
Discouragements are part of the package of our experiences – they have something to tell us, something to offer us. If we are ready to wait on the Lord, we will surely gather every bit of the blessings in store! I love to repeat this, to myself and to others: miracles abound, for those who are prepared to see them around!
Speaking of Miracles... let me add a short note here, an added reason to celebrate today: We celebrate today the memory of the dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major, one of the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome. It has a great historical background as it was one of the first basilicas built in honour of Mary, Mother of God. The miracle that is said to have happened to reveal the exact spot chosen by our Blessed Mother herself, the miracle of snow which came down in the exact spot, on August 5th, a mid summer night, gave rise to the title Our Lady of Snows! Happy Feast of Our Lady of Snows!
Discouragement in the life of a disciple is a moment to take stock and bounce back! Moses feels overburdened today, with the weight not just of carrying the people along, but of their obstinacy that prevented them from perceiving all that was so good and blessed around! The signs and wonders notwithstanding, the people decide to be unhappy and never to be convinced of the goodness that surrounds them.
As a disciple in ministry sometimes, all the good that is done and all the troubles that are taken seem to be ignored and much worse, interpreted wrongly! We see this discouragement in every person of God – apart from Moses presented today, Jeremiah (20:14-16), Paul, ... almost all the great prophets and disciples experienced it – Jesus was no exception.
Today we find Jesus, withdrawing to a secluded place after hearing the execution of John the Baptist. As if to have been reminded of his own fate to come, Jesus resorts to a time of solitude with the One who has sent him! Discouragements in our life too can be made moments of blessings if we opt to spend those moments with the right persons – first of all with God, who is always with us; then with persons of God who are given to us as reminders of God’s presence!
When these moments are utilized well, as moments to take stock, we can bounce back into action with a renewed spirit: as it happens with Moses, who grows so strong in his rapport with Yahweh who stood by his side all the while; like Jesus who comes up with the feat of feeding the multitude, as Yahweh did in the desert!
Discouragements are part of the package of our experiences – they have something to tell us, something to offer us. If we are ready to wait on the Lord, we will surely gather every bit of the blessings in store! I love to repeat this, to myself and to others: miracles abound, for those who are prepared to see them around!
Speaking of Miracles... let me add a short note here, an added reason to celebrate today: We celebrate today the memory of the dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major, one of the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome. It has a great historical background as it was one of the first basilicas built in honour of Mary, Mother of God. The miracle that is said to have happened to reveal the exact spot chosen by our Blessed Mother herself, the miracle of snow which came down in the exact spot, on August 5th, a mid summer night, gave rise to the title Our Lady of Snows! Happy Feast of Our Lady of Snows!
