Wednesday
16th Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: Exodus 16:1-5,9-15
The Manna and the Quails
--------------------------------------
[1] They 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.
[2] And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses
and Aaron in the wilderness, [3] and said to them, "Would that we had died by
the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate
bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole
assembly with hunger."
[4] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you;
and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove
them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
[5] On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much
as they gather daily."
[9] And Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel,
`Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your murmurings.'"
[10] And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they
looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
[11] And the LORD said to Moses, [12] "I have heard the murmurings of the people
of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall
be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God."'
[13] In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew
lay round about the camp. [14] And when the dew had gone up, there was on the
face of the wilderness a fine, flake like thing, fine as hoar frost on the ground. [15]
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 which the Lord
has given you to eat."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
16:1-36. The prodigy of the manna and the quails was a very important sign of
God's special providence towards his people while they were in the desert. It is
recounted here and in Numbers 11, but in both accounts facts are interwoven
with interpretation of same and with things to do with worship and ethics.
Some scholars have argued that the manna is the same thing as a sweet secre-
tion that comes from the tamarisk ("tamarix mannifera") when punctured by a
particular insect commonly found in the mountains of Sinai. The drops of this re-
sin solidify in the coldness of the night and some fall to the ground. They have
to be gathered up early in the morning because they deteriorate at twenty-four
degrees temperature (almost eighty degrees Celsius). Even today desert Arabs
collect them and use them for sucking and as a sweetener in confectionery.
As we know, quails cross the Sinai peninsula on their migrations back and forth
between Africa and Europe or Asia. In May or June, when they return from Africa
they usually rest in Sinai, exhausted after a long sea crossing; they can be ea-
sily trapped at this point.
Although these phenomenon can show where the manna and the quail come from,
the important thing is that the Israelites saw them as wonders worked by God.
The sacred writer stops to describe the impact the manna had on the sons of Is-
rael. They are puzzled by it, as can be seen from their remarks when it comes for
the first time: "What is it?" they ask, which in Hebrew sounds like "man hu", that
is, manna (v. 15), which is how the Greek translation puts it. Indeed, the need to
collect it every day gave rise to complaints about some people being greedy (v.
20) and who did not understand the scope of God's gift (v. 15). And just as man-
na is a divine gift to meet a basic human need (nourishment), so too the divine
precepts, specifically that of the sabbath, are a free gift from the Lord (v. 28). So,
obedience is not a heavy burden but the exercise of a capacity to receive the
good things that God gives to those who obey him.
The prodigy of the manna will resound right through the Bible: in the "Deuterono-
mic" tradition it is a test that God gives his people to show them that "man does
not live by bread alone, but [...] by everything that proceeds from the mouth of the
Lord" (Deut 8:3). The psalmist discovers that manna is "the bread of the strong"
("of angels", says the Vulgate and the RSV), which God sent in abundance (Ps
78:23ff; cf. Ps 105:40). The book of Wisdom spells out the features of this bread
from heaven "ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste" (Wis
16:20-29). And the New Testament reveals the full depth of this "spiritual" food (1
Cor 10:3), for, as the "Catechism" teaches, "manna in the desert prefigured the
Eucharist, 'the true bread from heaven' (Jn 6:32)" ("Catechism of the Catholic
Church", 1094).]
16:2-3. The complaining that usually precedes the desert prodigies (cf. 14:11;
15:24; 17:3; Num 11:1, 4; 14:2; 20:2; 21:4-5) brings into focus the chosen peo-
ple's lack of faith and hope, and (by contrast) the faithfulness of God, who time
and again alleviates their needs even though they do not deserve it. At the same
time, just as Moses and Aaron listened patiently to complaints, God too is al-
ways ready to dialogue with the sinner, sometimes listening to his complaints
and sorting them out, and sometimes simply giving him a chance to repent:
"Although God could inflict punishment on those whom he condemns without
saying anything, he does not do so; on the contrary, up to the point when he
does condemn, he speaks with the guilty person and lets him talk, so as to
help him avoid condemnation" (Origen, "Homiliae in leremiam", 1, 1).
(II) 1st Reading: Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10
The Lord calls Jeremiah
-----------------------------------
[1] The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth
in the land of Benjamin,
[4] Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
[5] "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
[6] Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only
a youth." But the Lord said to me,
"Do not say, 'I am only a youth';
for to all to whom I send you you shall go,
and whatever I command you you shall speak.
[8] Be not afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you.
[9] Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said
to me,
"Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
[10] See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build up and to plant."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1:1-19. The book of Jeremiah is a collection of the prophet's oracles arranged
more by subject than in chronological order and interspersed with stories about
his life. The heading (vv. 1-3), as in most of the prophetical books, introduces the
prophet and tells when he lived. Then, as an introduction to the book, comes an
account of the call of Jeremiah (vv. 4-10) along with two visions that give a good
description of the man (vv. 11-12 and 13-19).
1:1-3. Anathoth was a village in the kingdom of Judah about 5 km. (3 miles) north-
east of Jerusalem. It was a Levite city (cf. Jos 21:18), to which Abiathar the priest
was confined by order of King Solomon (1 Kings 2:26-27). Jeremiah's ministry as
a prophet began in 627 BC, during the reign of Josiah (639-609) and lasted until
the deportation to Babylon in 587, during the reigns of Jehoiakim (609) and Zede-
kiah (597-587). No mention is made here of the reigns of Jehoahaz (609) and Je-
hoiachin (597), probably because they were very short.
1:4-10. This account of the call of Jeremiah gives a very good idea of the myster-
ious nature of every divine call -- a call from all eternity and involving no merit on
the part of the person called, in which God makes known to a soul the why and
wherefore of his or her life. No one comes into being by accident, for everything
that happens is part of God's providence (v. 5). God's action in creating a person
is described graphically -- "formed" you in the womb – a word used to describe
what a potter does when he models something in clay. The Lord "knew" Jeremi-
ah – a reference to his choosing him for a specific mission (cf. Amos 3:2; Rom
8:29); God has a plan for each person, and he endows each with talents that e-
quip him or her to put that plan into effect. The passage also talks of a "conse-
cration", that is, the earmarking of a person or thing for the service of God. God's
plan for someone, made before the person is born, emerges in due course, when
he or she is old enough to take on the assignments that God has been preparing
him for. Glossing this passage, St John Chrysostom, has God say this: "I am
the one who knit you together in your mother's womb. Your life is not a work of
nature, nor the fruit of suffering. I am the origin and cause of all things: you should
obey and offer yourself to me," and he adds: "It does not begin with I consecrated
you: first, I knew you; then I consecrated you. Thus is the original choice shown,
and after the original choice, the particular calling" (Fragmenta in Ieremiam, 1).
When the mystery of a person's calling begins to be revealed, their initial reaction
can be one of fear, because they are very conscious of their limitations and feel
that they are not up to the tasks that the Lord entrusts them with. Jeremiah, for
example, argues that he is too young (v. 6). We do not know how old he was at
the time, for the word he uses to describe his age (na'ar) is imprecise. He was
probably only an adolescent (cf. Gen 37:2; 1 Sam 2:18; 3:1-21). In responding to
a vocation, one needs to listen, above all, to God who calls, who never leaves his
chosen ones on their own, and who always gives them the wherewithal to carry
out the mission he is charging them with (vv. 7-8).
The Lord's symbolic gesture of putting out his hand to touch Jeremiah's mouth,
as if to fill it with divine words, is similar to other gestures found in accounts of
the calling of prophets (cf. Is 6:7; Ezek 2:8-3:3; Dan 10:16). It is to tell the man
not to be concerned: he can rest assured that God will give him the right words
to express himself. It is a promise similar to that made by Jesus to his disciples:
he assured them of the Holy Spirit's help when the time came for them to bear
witness to him (cf. Mt 10:19-20).
The assignment given to Jeremiah implies a heavy responsibility; he will need
fortitude if he is to carry it out (v. 10). It involves in the first place doing destruc-
tive things (plucking up, breaking down, destroying and overthrowing) and only
then come constructive roles (building and planning). St Gregory the Great will
apply the same idea to the attention that is called for in the pastoral care of the
faithful: "One cannot build up if what disturbs the foundation has not been dest-
royed. In other words, the sweet words of good preaching are sown in vain if the
thorns of self-love have not first been plucked from the hearts of listeners" (Re-
gular pastoralis, 3, 34).
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:1-9
Parable of the Sower
-------------------------------
[1] That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. [2] And
great crowds gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat there; and
the whole crowd stood on the beach. [3] And He told them many things in para-
bles, saying: "A sower went out to sow. [4] And as he sowed, some seeds fell
along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. [5] Other seeds fell on
rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up,
since they had no depth of soil, [6] but when the sun rose they were scorched;
and since they had no root they withered away. [7] Other seeds fell upon thorns,
and the thorns grew up and choked them. [8] Other seeds fell on good soil and
brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. [9] He who has
ears, let him hear."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
-----
게시자 주: 오늘의 복음 말씀은 가해 연중 제15주일 복음
말씀(마태오 복음서 13,1-23)에
포함되므로, 이 비유의 내용을 제대로 이해하기 위하여
다음에 있는 가해 연중 제15
주일의 복음 말씀과 그 해설을 학습하도록 하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/navarre/a_ot_15.htm
-----
3. Chapter 13 of St. Matthew includes as many as seven of Jesus' parables,
which is the reason why it is usually called "the parable discourse" or the "para-
bolic discourse". Because of their similarity of content and setting these para-
bles are often called the "Kingdom parables", and also the "parables of the Lake",
because Jesus taught them on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. Jesus uses these
elaborate comparisons (parables) to explain certain features of the Kingdom of
God which He has come to establish (cf. Matthew 3:2)--its tiny, humble origins;
its steady growth; its worldwide scope; its salvific force. God calls everyone to
salvation but only those attain it who receive God's call with good dispositions
and who do not change their attitude; the value of the spiritual benefits the King-
dom brings--so valuable that one should give up everything to obtain them; the
fact that good and bad are all mixed together until the harvest time, or the time
of God's judgment; the intimate connection between earthly and heavenly as
pects of the Kingdom, until it reaches its point of full development at the end of
time.
On Jesus' lips, parables are exceptionally effective. By using parables He keeps
His listeners' attention, whether they are uneducated or not, and by means of the
most ordinary things of daily life He sheds light on the deepest supernatural mys-
teries. He used the parable device in a masterly way; His parables are quite
unique; they carry the seal of His personality; through them He has graphically
shown us the riches of grace, the life of the Church, the demands of the faith and
even the mystery of God's own inner life.
Jesus' teaching continues to provide every generation with light and guidance on
moral conduct. By reading and reflecting on His parables one can savor the ado-
rable humanity of the Savior, who showed such kindness to the people who crow-
ded around to hear Him--and who shows the same readiness to listen to our
prayers, despite our dullness, and to reply to our healthy curiosity when we try to
make out His meaning.
3-8. Anyone who has visited the fertile plain to the west of the Lake of Gennesaret
will appreciate Jesus' touching description in the parable of the sower. The plain
is crisscrossed by paths; it is streaked with rocky ground, often with the rocks
lying just beneath the surface, and with the courses of rivulets, dry for most of the
year but still retaining some moisture. Here and there are clumps of large thorn
bushes. When the agricultural worker sows seed in this mixed kind of land, he
knows that some seed will fare better than others.
9. Jesus did not explain this parable there and then. It was quite usual for para-
bles to be presented in the first instance as a kind of puzzle to gain the listener's
attention, excite his curiosity and fix the parable in his memory. It may well be
that Jesus wanted to allow his more interested listeners to identify themselves by
coming back to hear Him again--as happened with His disciples. The rest--who
listened out of idle curiosity or for too human reasons (to see Him work miracles)
--would not benefit from hearing a more detailed and deeper explanation of the
parable.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].