A Parable Review
I have received several requests to review the questions I shared in my homily regarding the three parables from last week’s Gospel passage from Matthew. I want to begin with a point from the first reading that I believe is foundational for these parables. This is a pattern that is present in the vast majority of EVERY weekend’s readings at Mass. The Old Testament reading lays a foundation for the Gospel.
Last weekend’s first reading from the First Book of Kings tells us a story of God appearing to the young King Solomon in a dream. Solomon is unsure of many things and anxious as he assumes the role of King following his father, King David. In the dream, Solomon asks God for “…a wise and understanding HEART,” not simply those two virtues but a HEART filled with wisdom and understanding. Discerning God’s purpose for us is always a matter of the heart. Understanding and wisdom supplement what is in our heart, but ultimately discernment is primarily a matter of the heart. I believe that the questions generated by these parables are great resources for that very spiritual exercise.
Matthew 13:44-46 and following urge us to reflect on what we have FOUND in the field of life just as the person found the treasure in the field. What have you found, discovered and learned in life?
The Merchant offers a complementary verb SEARCHING for a pearl of great price. What are you SEARCHING for, seeking, looking for in life?
The final parable is the person who throws a net into the sea and CATCHES many things, some good and some bad. They then SIT down and SEPARATE the good from the bad. Have you taken the time to SIT DOWN, take some quiet time and reflect on the good and the bad that you have both FOUND and SEARCHED for? In addition, have you SEPARATED those two and discarded the bad that you have caught?
Please also know how seriously I take the discernment process. I believe that my calling from God as a priest is to help you discern how God is calling you. I hope this underscores the fact that discernment and call are not experiences reserved for those in church ministry, priesthood or religious life. Discerning God’s call is a significant spiritual endeavor for all of us by virtue of our Baptism.
I hope you find the above helpful in discerning God’s call and purpose for you
Pray For Me
I am beginning my annual eight-day Silent Directed Retreat this week and, as I do every year, I will work with a trained Director who will lead me in a process very similar to the one described above. Aside from an initial 45-minute discussion with that Director, I will use the gift of prolonged silence to continue to reflect on the direction of my own spiritual journey. I will not be with you celebrating the Eucharist this weekend or next. Please know I will be praying for each of you, and I ask for your prayers as well.
More than Enough from Very Little
This weekend, we hear Matthew’s version of the one miracle story of Jesus that is in all four Gospels. Each version is slightly different. In Matthew, we hear Jesus needing to get away following the death of John the Baptist. His desire to be alone is interrupted by thousands of people who are looking for him and seeking to be spiritually fed by him. The story has two titles – The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish or The Feeding of Five Thousand.
Jesus knows they want to be fed, and he knows he can feed them both physically and spiritually. The disciples appear to be more overwhelmed by this situation than Jesus is. His heart is moved with compassion for them, so he cures the ones who are sick. They obviously all stick around for more because evening begins to set and the disciples want him to dismiss the crowds so they can disperse and get something to eat. Jesus then asks them to sit down. An annual retreat helps us to stop and sit down.
We have been emphasizing the major theme of discipleship in Matthews’s Gospel, and Jesus gives the chosen around him a challenge of what it means to be a disciple. “Give them some food yourselves.”
As is often the case, the disciples don’t understand what Jesus is asking of them. He then shows them the pattern. In the midst of what seems overwhelming in life, take what you already have – even if it doesn’t seem to be nearly enough – give thanks for it, share it, and in the end, there will be more than enough.
Jesus identifies what is present – five loaves and two fish. He blesses it (a grace of gratitude), gives it to the disciples who then share it with a hungry crowd, and in the end, there are leftovers.
Try it yourselves. Take some time to stop and sit down. Pause in the midst of the chaotic and overwhelming of life. Take the time to focus on what you have, and even if it seems to be nowhere near enough – give thanks to God for it, share it, and trust that it may be even more than enough in the end.