MONDAY OF THE 17th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Ex 32:15-24, 30-34; Mt 13:31-35

The Philosopher Blaise Pascal said “We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty driven from end to end.” To be bothered about the uncertainty of life as one of the problems of the world today and more difficult if one does not know how to handle, face and address it. Today’s readings make us cautious about the sources of uncertainties so that we may not fail into the trap of losing God on our side.

First, to be aware of the “desert” experiences. The desert is often illustrated as a place of uncertainty or a place of loss and lack of direction. Moses was there to guide the Israelites from Egypt to the Promise Land. In order not to be lost, God placed Moses in charge of the people who will be traversing the “desert.” This is descriptive of our desert experiences and we should not be trusting only on ourselves but we have to be guided. We need God’s help. Pope Francis said “What is the desert? It is a place where uncertainty and insecurity reign — there is nothing in the desert — where there is no water, no food and no shelter. The desert is an image of human life, whose condition is uncertain and has no inviolable guarantees.”

Second, inclination to other gods. Human life is vulnerable to temptations that hinder authentic spirituality and obedience to God. When things we ask for do not come as expected or when blessings of God are not tangible, we tend to look for other alternatives and resort to new gods. Pope Francis commented: “And something occurs in that desert which triggers idolatry. “Moses delayed to come down from the mountain” (Ex 32:1). He remained there for 40 days and the people grew impatient. The reference point was missing: Moses, the leader, the one in charge, the reassuring guide; and this became unbearable. Thus, the people called for a visible god — this is the snare into which the people fell — in order to identify and orient themselves.” It was Aaron who declared to Moses and said: “You know well enough how prone the people are to evil.” The first reading today reminds us how we are weak and are prone to evil.

Third, the inability to say “no.”  The ability to say “no” to any form of temptation that will lead us away from God’s will is important to receive God’s grace. The role Aaron in the story at Mount Sinai illustrates the vulnerability of man to look for tangible gifts from God. We become pragmatic and selfish. When the people became impatient because it took too long for Moses to descend from the mountain, they asked Aaron: “make us gods, who shall go before us.” This sometime happens when God does not respond immediately, we tend to take other alternatives. Pope Francis reacted: “Aaron is unable to refuse the people’s request, and he makes a golden calf.  If God does not show himself, then we custom-make one for ourselves. “Before an idol, there is no risk that we will be called to abandon our security, for idols ‘have mouths, but they cannot speak’ (Ps 115:5). Idols exist, we begin to see, as a pretext for setting ourselves at the centre of reality and worshiping the work of our own hands.”

Fourth, the failure to get the point. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God in parables in order for the disciples to realize that the Kingdom of God is indeed spiritual. In the Gospel today, Jesus illustrates the Kingdom of God as like yeast and the mustard seed. It is Jesus who is the Kingdom of God and he makes the seed grow and develop until full grown. It is also God who searches for us that we may grow in love for God. Pope Francis said: “His work is to search: to search and seek out the lost in order to invite them back”. For “God cannot abide losing what is his; thus, on Holy Thursday Jesus would pray ‘that none of those whom thou hast given me may be lost.” We learn to trust and entrust everything to God otherwise we would not be able to understand the reason for His coming to us and the words he speaks to us. We might not be able to get the point.