Wednesday, July 21, 2021

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Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 16:1-5.9-15; Mathew 13:1-9)

Those old enough to have experienced the gas shortages of the 1970s may remember how people reacted by hoarding the gas that was available.  A cartel of oil producers reduced its output so that there was less gas available on the American market.  Gas became more expensive, but people did not buy less.  It was a sorry sight.  People lined up sometimes for hours every day to hoard the gas that was available.  In today’s first reading God wants to see a different kind of response to shortage.

Not long after the exodus from Egypt the people’s food supply runs low.  Many start to worry that they would starve and complain that they should never have left captivity.  God hears their cries and plans to provide food.  But He wants to test the people’s trust.  He demands that they do not hoard the bread-like manna that He will send.  They are to take only enough bread for their daily ration although twice as much is to be allowed on the sixth day of the week so that they would not have to gather food on the Sabbath.

Fear of not having enough can move people to act greedily.  Hoarding is not being prudent but selfish. In times of shortages we need to be especially conscious of the common good.  Hopefully, government officials will provide prudent guidelines for how we should act.  In any case we have to trust that God will provide for us as we consider the welfare of others.

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