Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
Ex 19: 1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Mt 13:10-17
Deacon Larry Brockman
Just a few weeks ago, thunder and lightning struck my house. In a split second, my world suddenly stood still. As I busily worked away on my computer, I suddenly heard a shot like a cannon, and saw a flash of blinding light. It was as if time stood still- and yet, it was all over in a fraction of a second! My well controller, my TV, my hi-fi, my computer, and my ham radio station were all decimated in that split second; but miraculously, Jane and I were OK. It was terrifying.
With that in mind, can you just imagine for a moment what it must have been like to be in that crowd of Israelites standing at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Lord made His presence known on that third day? There was deafening thunder, constant lightning, and fire consuming this vast mountain, right in their midst, virtually surrounding them- with the mountain wreathed in thick smoke, not just for an instant, but for an extended period of time.
You would think that God’s word to Moses after he ascended that mountain and came down with the ten commandments, would be something that everybody that lived through that experience would respect and honor and keep out of sheer respect for the awesome power that was Almighty God. Yet, that was not the case. Rather, the Exodus continued with the Israelis constantly whining and complaining and disobeying the law.
So, what is the lesson learned for us? Well, even if God hits us over the head directly with a loud and unmistakable message, we can easily miss it or forget it. So, then, what works? How best can God communicate with our human nature so that we “get it”, and keep it?
Well, along came Jesus and the New Order a couple of thousand years later that we hear about in our Gospel. Jesus calls a few simple minded folks to join him as Apostles and Disciples. They were nothing special by worldly standards- fisherman, tax collectors, and common folk. And Jesus goes out preaching the New Order to the crowd, not directly, but in parables.
When the Apostles ask him “why parables for the crowd?”, they got this answer: “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted”. So, I ask you, what did Jesus mean by that? Just how was this knowledge granted to the Apostles? By Faith and Grace, that’s how. The Apostles came to believe in Jesus, and by the grace of God, they went away many times after hearing Jesus speak, thought about it; pondered it in their minds. And then came to certain conclusions, to a certain “knowing” about who Jesus was and what it all meant. The peals of thunder and flashes of lightning didn’t work with the Israelis- but Faith and Grace and quiet reflection did work for the Apostles.
You know what, thousands of years have passed since this Gospel scene, and we are the people in the crowd today- a people who are looking for a miracle; a strong, unmistakable message from God; a vision for the future. Like the crowd in Jesus time, we are looking for the easy way out, but we are not going to get it because our ears are not tuned in and our eyes are blind. Rather, Jesus speaks to us best through the legacy of the Gospel in parables; parables that have multiple layers of meaning; parables that we have to go away and read over and over again. And by Faith and Grace and reflection, we will have our eyes and ears and minds opened to the truth.
So, do yourself a favor. Set aside some time to do just that. Seek God in his Word to us, and study and ponder it. Take advantage of the many opportunities available to you to listen and reflect on God and his Word. Then your eyes and ears and mind will be opened to the truth.