So let's talk about today's readings 12/2/09

[cheeto1]

December 2, 2009

Reading 1
Is 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R.** I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.**
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Gospel
Mt 15:29-37

At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.”
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.

 

[cheeto1]

“The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces…for the Lord has spoken”
– So if you don’t have tears, God can’t wipe them away. But if you are
sorrowful, then you will be consoled.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”
– Let’s see, what do I want? Anything? Yes? Then is the Lord still my shepherd?
or is the key word here “shall”… The Lord is my shepherd, so in the future I
shall not want?

“They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.”
– And how much room was there at His feet? I am thinking this was a very
orderly crowd, who took turns, and maybe even stood in line. When did He
sleep during this time, and where? That He was there three days strikes me today,
as also the time of His death, and the time of Jonah in the whale. He spent 3
days giving life.

So what struck you about today’s readings? :bible1::twocents:

 

[Beachcomber]

Is this a decision between ‘want’ and ‘need’?

‘Want’ is used here in the old-fashioned sense of lacking necessities, not in the present day of wanting all sorts of possessions. So, if the Lord is one’s shepherd, you won’t be lacking for the necessities. Jesus has said this in the Gospels (lilies of the field, ect.).

Then, will we have everything we ‘need’? Yes, because in this case ‘want’ is ‘need.’

 

[cheeto1]

‘Want’ is used here in the old-fashioned sense of lacking necessities, not in the present day of wanting all sorts of possessions.

I realize that, but it just struck me today, after I’ve read it a million times, to think
of it in the present day. After all, that’s where I live. I read it and it’s making me
feel like I should just stop wanting anything, knowing I will be given all I need.
And yet, Advent is a season of wishing, and dreaming the impossible dream…

 

[Beachcomber]

Oh, I see what you mean.

Perhaps we ‘want’ in order to develop our discernment faculties between needs and desires.