Memorial of Saint
Ignatius, priest
(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)
Jesus could have used other sayings to describe the reaction
of the people of Nazareth to him in today’s gospel. He might have said, “Familiarity breeds
contempt.” Rather than praising God that
one of their own has been blessed to speak so well, the people question how he
came by the wisdom.
But, of course, familiarity does not always cause
rejection. St. Ignatius of Loyola immersed
himself completely in the story of Jesus and wanted to organize a band of
followers for him. The name they chose
is revealing, “The Company of Jesus” (often rendered “Society”). Knowing him to be the source of goodness and
truth, they desired to stay close to the Lord.
We may feel like despairing because we fail to measure up
to Jesus. That would, however, be a
mistake. He takes us where we are every
day and assists us to do better. Remaining
in his company by sharing regularly with him the food and drink of the altar will
make us more like him.
Monday of the
Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Number 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:2-36)
Parish priests notoriously complain like Moses in the
first reading today. They feel oppressed
by an unrelenting round of meetings, appointments, responsibilities, and
requests. But certainly pastors are not
the only people stressed out in society.
Often parents feel overwhelmed by demands at home, school, work, and church.
Moses’ appeal to the Lord demonstrates a lively
relationship. He shows little
reservation about telling God how overburdened he feels. On the brink of despair, he even mentions
that death would be preferable to being badgered by so many requests. God will answer Moses’ plea. Advice is given on how to administer the
people more proficiently. Also, God will
intervene more directly to aid his worthy friend.
We should confront stress in our lives on varied
fronts. We need to prioritize our
responsibilities so that we give our best time to what is most important. We need to make sure that we eat
intelligently, exercise vigorously, and rest sufficiently. Most importantly, we, like Moses here, should
unabashedly appeal to God for assistance.
