So let's talk about today's readings 7/23/09

[cheeto1]

usccb.org/nab/readings/072309.shtml

“Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke,
for the LORD came down upon it in fire.
The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace,
and the whole mountain trembled violently”

The people had enough faith to go toward that mountain instead of running away
from it. Moses said it was God, and they believed him. They didn’t think it was a
volcano, and they trusted that God wasn’t going to harm them, despite their previous
complaining and wanting to go back to Egypt. I wonder how many people run away
from God because of fear of their sins? The Catholic church can be a scary place
for some people who aren’t familiar with it.

"R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!"
Praise of the Lord is so satisfying, it’s the one thing you can do and you’ll always
be doing the right thing. It puts you at one with the positive forces of the universe.
Your voice and heart are joined to the angels of heaven and to the most lowly soul
on earth who loves the Lord. R. Glory and praise for ever!

“To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away” –

I don’t know what to say about it, but it really strikes me today.
To anyone who has what?
To anyone who has not what?
How will it be taken away? By a person, By God, By a circumstance?
What is “it”?

Today is the day of St. Bridget, mother of St. Catherine of Sweden.
In Wales, it’s the day of Philip Evans and John Lloyd

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

 

[Beachcomber]

The ‘it’, I think, is the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells the disciples that He speaks in parables to the crowd because they don’t know what the disciples know.

If they respond favorably to Jesus’ message, they will ‘receive more.’ Because of their hardness of heart, or whatever, they don’t respond favorably, that is what will cause whatever they have to be taken away. It is their own fault that they will lose whatever ‘light’ they have. God was in their midst and they did not believe Him.

 

[cheeto1]

If you are right about the “it”, then I wonder what mysteries of God people know who
only know “a little”. Which understanding of mysteries would be taken away?
What do you have to know to be “one who has”?

 

[Beachcomber]

I’m just feeling my way here, but perhaps the mystery of God that people know a little of, is that the Messiah would come. So many were looking for the Messiah and expected Him, but did not recognise Him when He did show up. The ‘little’ would be the fact that they were expecting the Messiah–that was good, but looked for Him in the wrong way: as a political savior.

What you have to know is Jesus Himself.