18th Week, Thursday, August 10
Numbers 20:1-13 / Matthew 16:13-23
God blessed you greatly; You must keep his commandments
Henry Ward Beecher makes this observation. Suppose someone gave you a dish of sand mixed with iron filings. You look for the filings with your eyes and you comb for them with your fingers. But you can’t find them. Then you take a small magnet and draw it through the sand in the dish. Suddenly the magnet is covered with the filings. The ungrateful person is like our fingers combing the sand. The ungrateful person finds nothing in life to be thankful for. The grateful person, on the other hand, is like sweeping through the sand. That person finds hundreds of things in life to be grateful for.***
Do we look upon God's commandments as opportunities for expressing gratitude to him? "God has two dwellings: one in heaven and the other in the meek and thankful heart. " Izaak Walton
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Massah and Meribah, the names of the two places occur in prayers. Massah means temptation, a test; Meribah, strife or contention. Twice God gave Moses the order to strike the rock Moses struck the rock twice and water gushed in abundance [verse Ill. The miracle was of special significance then. The people needed the water and God gave it to them on both occasions - at the beginning of their march through the desert and at the end, and he gave it to the whole assembly of the people. They must know that their God is not only powerful, but kind. Paul sees in it Christ: "The rock was Christ", he says (1 Corinthians 10.4), God alone can satisfy the thirst of the people, not only the physical thirst but the thirst of the soul. He alone is the source of living water. The water is the word of God. It slakes our thirst and gives us freshness and vigour. "The rock is Christ" means: he not only is the firm foundation, he is not dry stone, but true source of the water that will be an inner spring, always welling up for eternal life [John 4.14]
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Water is a necessity of life, highly appreciated particularly by men living in an arid country, like the Jews, or as they experienced in the desert on their weary way to the Promised Land. Water easily becomes the symbol of God, who is at the same time both a firm, reliable rock and life-giving water. Faith in this rock is demanded.
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Between hunger and thirst, it may be difficult to say which will affect us more adversely. But in the desert, where life is becomes so thin and fragile, hunger and thirst are factors that will have to be seriously reckoned with.
In the 1st reading, the Israelites complained first of hunger. Then it is thirst. And in the desert, thirst can have devastating effects. As it had on the Israelites. And also on Moses and Aaron. In their disgust and resentment with the complaints of the rebellious Israelites, Moses taunted them before he struck the rock twice to make water flow from it. Moses had reached the limit of his tolerance and patience and had only harsh and heated words for the people.
In the gospel, we also heard of some harsh words from Jesus to Peter. But those harsh words of Jesus were not said in disgust or in resentment, but rather to emphasize His commitment to His saving mission, as well as a reminder to us that we should not be an obstacle to the ways of God. In life there will be occasions when the dryness in our throats is not caused by thirst. Rather it may be caused by people who make us frustrated and angry and we burn with bitterness within.
In that fiery moment, our parched mouths may spew out something nasty, only to regret it later. Let us always come to Jesus, and let the saving waters from His Heart put out the fiery anger and bitterness in our hearts and heal us so that we can be at peace with each other.
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Jesus faces his apostles with the question “Who am I?” Peter, in the name of all, professes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, even though probably there is no direct recognition here yet of his divinity, but rather of his divine origin. After this “confession,” the Lord gives Peter his mission as head of the apostolic college and of the Church. Now that they know who he is, he can tell them also of his passion, death and resurrection. Yet, this seems too much at that time: Peter protests. His faith is not strong enough. He thinks still in human terms. We profess to know who Jesus is. But do we too not think too often in merely human ways?
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Prayer
Our living God, we too profess that Jesus is your Son, that he came from you and went back to you. We thank you for our faith that we have received as a gift from you. But forgive us when it becomes difficult for us always to follow Jesus on his way of suffering and death, even though we believe that it is the way to glory. Help us to think and live in your way, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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Saint Lawrence
Feast day August 10
“Where’s the money?” demanded the Roman official. “What money?” Lawrence asked. “The Church’s gold and silver,” answered the official. “We know that you’re in charge of the treasury, Lawrence. The government has a right to confiscate those funds. Hand them over.” The Roman official had seen that Pope Sixtus II and four other deacons had been executed, but he didn’t want to kill this deacon, Lawrence, until he had the wealth in his hands. Lawrence responded, “Yes, I will show you the real treasures of the Church, but give me three days.” Lawrence had already sold the gold chalice and other sacred items and had given the money to those who were poor.
In three days, the official returned. He saw rows and rows of people who were diseased, orphaned, blind, lame, and widowed. Lawrence’s comment was “These are the treasures of the Church.” This incident shows how well Lawrence had put on the mind and heart of Christ. Deacons were to serve others, especially those who are poor. Lawrence valued people more than his life.
The Roman official had a huge grill built and placed it over burning coals. This way, he hoped that Lawrence would die very slowly and painfully from the burning heat. But Lawrence is said to have laughed in the face of death. Soon he would see Jesus face-to-face.
