Manna from heaven, has become Man from heaven…

An icon depicting the Sower

Gift: Wisdom– With the gift of wisdom, we see God at work in our lives and in the world. For the wise person, the wonders of nature, historical events, and the ups and downs of our lives take on deeper meaning. The matters of judgment about the truth, and being able to see the image of God.

Reading: In the evening quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning a dew lay all about the camp, and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground. ³ On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?” for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.  (Exodus 16:13-15)

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But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.  (Matthew 13:8)

Observation:  God gave his chosen people in the desert the food that they needed to survive on earth.  In other words, he heard their grumbling mouths and knew their hungry stomachs and fed them with food from heaven.  They were so thankful that they reserved some of the manna to remind them of this amazing miracle that God performed for them.  For us today, God has provided his son’s flesh for us to eat in the form of bread and his blood to drink in the form of wine.  How much more should we be thankful for the chance to unite ourselves with God in this way?  For me, I hear Jesus saying, in the parable of the sower in today’s Gospel reading for Mass, that the bread that we eat and wine that we drink is not intended to feed our bodies, but rather to be the seed by which the holy Spirit will be planted in our soul and be shown to be fruitful by the ways in which we share that grace with others.

Personification: Joy  It will be my intention today to display the fruit of the holy Spirit that is planted in me by the Eucharistic meal that I plan to eat at our 8:30am Mass.  It is not because I feel that I am worthy to eat it.  Rather, Jesus is worthy of having at least some of the seed sown to be bearing fruit.  Unlike the Israelites in the desert, I hope that God has prepared my soil to receive the seed of truth and I will be given the grace necessary to display real joy that comes from my being united to Jesus in the Eucharist.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

Related articles

• Are You a Man or A Mouse? A Reflection on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (adw.org)
• “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” (insightscoop.typepad.com)
• Go ahead and argue…Its not easy to accept…Jesus knows your doubt…He has seen you before! (catholicjournaling.wordpress.com)