Meditation for the Day

Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time, July 21

May Our Faith Always Be Watered and Fed by the God Who Continuously Nourishes Us with His Word of Truth and His Sacraments Which Give Us Life.

“Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!” – words of contempt and a lack of trust in the God who had just shown the Jewish people His Merciful Love in bringing them to safety from the onrushing of Pharaoh’s charioteers and foot soldiers.

What causes a person to become untouched or indifferent to the wondrous Majesty which is God’s? What causes one’s heart to grow cold and unresponsive to the providential Love which God has for His children?

Sadly, in today’s world, there are many hearts which are like the rocky ground or the thorns in which God’s seed is planted. And, because the seed of His Truth does not take root or is choked by the secularistic lies which surround us, their hearts are not docile, not receptive, much less trusting in the promises which God has given us – not unlike the Israelites in our First Reading who were unable or unwilling to believe and trust in the God who just saved them from the spears and swords of Pharaoh’s army!

Even though they had physically witnessed the awesome power of God’s Love for His chosen people, they still tested God with all their grumbling and complaints. They put their physical needs before their faith in God’s compassionate Mercy.

And yet, in His Merciful Love, He still heard their grievances and provided for their needs, for God is a Father who does not abandon His children. Scripture tells us, “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.”

So, too, when Christ was about to endure His suffering, He said to His Apostles, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

God provided nourishment for the Israelites in the form of quail and manna, which our psalmist speaks of in today’s Responsorial, “He rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread. Man ate the bread of angels, food he sent them in abundance”

This “heavenly bread” was a precursor to the True Bread from Heaven which gives eternal life. And Jesus spoke of this in John’s Gospel. Referring to the Israelites in our First Reading, our Lord said:

“Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died.” And, referring to Himself, Jesus continues, “…this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Jesus has not abandoned us. He has not left us orphans, for He comes to us in the form of His own Flesh and Blood, His own Soul and Divinity, which we receive as our nourishment, which we receive as our strengthening as we journey through the various valleys and the barren deserts of our lives.

No matter where we may find ourselves in this journey, as long as we have opened our hearts to all that God offers us, as long as we allow ourselves to become that fertile soil in which God’s seed has been planted, we will always be nourished and strengthened by the Bread of Life, enabling us to become Christ-like in our everyday thoughts, words and deeds – guiding us in our relationship with God and in our relationship with one another.

May our faith, which has taken root in the fertile soil of our hearts and souls, always be watered and fed by the God who loves us, by the God who continuously nourishes us with His Word of Truth and His Sacraments, by the God who gives us His promise of everlasting life.

So that, one day, when God finally calls you and me from this life, we may truly enjoy the fulfillment of every promise which He has made to us, especially the promise in which we shall experience the wonder of becoming co-heirs with our Lord Jesus, Himself, in His Heavenly Kingdom! †

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Please Comment, Like and Share, and Suggest to your Facebook friends – to spread the message of God’s Merciful Love.

Por favor Comente, Le Gusta y Comparta, y Sugiera a tus amigos en Facebook – en difundir el mensaje del Misericordioso Amor de Dios.

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Scripture for the Day

• “The Israelites said to them, ‘Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!’” (Exodus 16:3a)
• “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
• “He rained manna upon them for food; grain from heaven he gave them. Man ate the bread of angels, food he sent in abundance.” (Psalm 78:24-25)
• “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:49-51)
• “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not.” (Proverbs 3:5)
• “My soul rests in God alone, from whom comes my salvation…My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope…Trust God at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge!” (Psalm 62:2, 6, 9)
• “[The LORD] satisfies you with the finest wheat.” (Psalm 147:14b)
• “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
• “…the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:6)
• “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17)

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Prayer for the Day

“Oh, for the peace of a perfect trust,
My loving God, in Thee;
Unwavering faith that never doubts
Thou choose what is best for me!

“Best, though my plans be all upset;
Best, though the way be rough;
Best, though my earthly store be scant;
In Thee I have enough.

“Best, though my health and strength be gone,
Though weary days be mine,
Shut out from much that others have;
Not my will, Lord, but Thine!

“And even though disappointments come,
They, too, are best for me,
To wean me from this changing world,
And lead me nearer to Thee.

“Oh, for the peace of a perfect trust
That looks away from all;
That sees Thy hand in everything,
In great events or small.

“That hears Thy voice – a Father’s voice –
Directing for the best.
Oh, for the peace of a perfect trust,
A heart in Thee at rest.”

Anonymous