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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.
