16th Week in Ordinary Time
26th July 2023 (Wednesday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
The people of Israel set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked towards the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”
Psalm 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28, (R. 24b)
R/. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Simple are the noble!
Guidlines: Greatness is not a matter of big money or position or capacity. Neither is it a matter of more influence, more importance, more affluence, or more convenience. Real greatness is holiness and goodness. And Simplicity and fidelity to God are the secrets of sanctity{alertSuccess}
1. IThe feast of St Anne that we celebrate today is a grand celebration for many women religious congregations that have St Anne as their Patroness.
2. It is a fact that hardly anything is known in history or in the Bible about them. From the long tradition, the account of their lives startlingly parallels the story of the barren Hannah in the OT and her conception of Samuel (1 Samuel 1); she also dedicated her child to the service of God.
Information concerning their lives and names is found in the 2nd century in the Protoevangelium of James (“First Gospel of James”) and the 3rd-century Evangelium de nativitate Mariae (“Gospel of the Nativity of Mary”). According to these non-canonical sources, Anne (Hebrew: Ḥannah) was born in Bethlehem in Judaea. She married Joachim. They shared a wealthy and devout life in Nazareth, Israel but were very much troubled by their childlessness.
Joachim was reproached at the Temple for his sterility and so he withdrew into the countryside to pray. Anne, grief-stricken by his disappearance and by her barrenness, solemnly promised God that, if given a child, she would dedicate it to the Lord’s service. Both received the vision of an angel, who announced that Anne would conceive and bear a most wondrous child.
The couple rejoiced at the birth of their daughter, whom Anne named Mary. When the child was three years old, Joachim and Anne, in fulfilment of her divine promise, brought Mary to the temple of Jerusalem, where they left her to be brought up.
Whether these accounts are really historical or only devotional, is not a crucial matter. Certainly, it will not be a mere fabricated story if we hold them to be good and holy people. The reason is simple: “Every tree is known by its fruits. A good tree produces good fruits and a bad tree produces bad fruits” (Mt 7. 16-20).
This is very true in the case of St Ann. If you want to see, understand, and appreciate the greatness of Ann, look at her daughter Mary. If Mary is so simple and humble, gentle and noble, docile and surrendered, magnanimous and generous, pure and immaculate, surely we can imagine how Ann nurtured these qualities in Mary and brought her up in the way of God. Mary mirrors the virtues of Ann.
Therefore, their feast invites us to focus once again intently on this great saint, draw inspiration and guidance, encouragement and support from her, check and review our life and mission in the light of her life and example and thus strive for a fresh renewal and better commitment.
This feast of St Anne and St Joachim is in no way irrelevant for others, especially the lay faithful because they stand before all as great models for good parenting.
Let us clearly remember that the greatest tribute to St Ann is not only singing her praises on this day but much more making our life, in imitation of her, a living song and praise in God’s glory. Let us not only venerate her but also imitate her virtues, especially her simplicity, fear of God, holiness, and good example.
St Ann should be not only a model for admiration but a role model for emulation. She should be an inspiration for all those entrusted with the care of others in different roles to guide them on the right path with sound values.
In tune with their great example, we must realise that what matters in life is not so much to have many things, but to have healthy values; it is not to have a lot of money, but to have a solid heart; it is not to have beautiful clothes, but to be dressed with a beautiful character; it is not to take care of a beautiful body, but to nourish a good soul; it is not to have high and expensive education, but to have a noble formation of faith; it is not so much to grow in well-being, but to grow in well-living; it is not so much to be competent but to be benevolent.
In particular, as Saints Anne Joachim are patron saints of the grandparents, they are great role models for all the parents who should hold more responsibility for bringing up their children in a culture of faith and good values. This is all a question of good parenting.
Bearing and bringing up children is not just something physical or material. Parenting is not just providing the children bundles of money, costly clothes, comfortable housing, fat-paid education, lucrative jobs, and prestigious matches. It is much more than that.
Parenting is a concern of grooming the children in a sane culture of faith and values. It is educating, forming, fostering, and maturing them to live a healthy, holy, good, and happy life. It is a matter of growing the young generation into fine human beings, good family members, caring neighbours, and responsible and committed citizens.
This is a noble task and it places certain conditions on each parent and grandparent. It is a sacred duty of teaching the children by word and example, accompanying and guiding them with clarity, conviction, and patience, blending freedom with responsibility, indulgence with discipline.
Children are a gift from the Lord and therefore they should be treated not only with respect but with reverence and should be brought up with a sense of utmost responsibility. Every parent and grandparent should be conscious that they stand answerable and accountable before God whether they bring up their children as integral and integrated human persons.
Practice: The beauty and value of life do not consist in acquiring what is big in the sight of the world, but in growing great in the fear and intimacy of God and love and sensitivity towards the other humans{alertSuccess}