GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 26TH JULY 2017
MEMORIAL OF SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE, PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
FIRST READING: Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
PSALM: Psalm 78:18-19, 23-28
GOSPEL: Matthew 13:1-9
THEME: A SIGN WILL BE GIVEN
There are moments in life when we tend to wonder whether we are on the right path: Am I walking in the will of God? Is this my plan or God’s plan? The good news is that God in his faithfulness does not deprive us of divine signs when we embark on a journey that begins with him and ends in him. At critical moments on such journeys, he provides answers to questions, solutions to problems and a way out of challenges. Such divine provisions are signs from above that God has a hand in the unfolding events of the journey.
On their journey from Egypt to Canaan, the Israelites were confronted with a big challenge – famine. In their desperation, they cried out to Moses: “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exod. 16:3).
One can imagine how Moses must have felt: Did I make a mistake in my discernment and judgement that led to the exodus from Egypt? Amidst this probable and legitimate concern, Moses and the people of Israel received a big sign from God – a divine provision of “bread from heaven”. God proved himself faithful on the journey.
God never starts a journey with anyone and leaves the person halfway. We can trust that in his faithfulness, God would make divine provisions as we walk in his will. When we put our faith in his Word, there will be fruits in our lives – thirty, sixty or hundredfold. These fruits would be a sign to us that God is still the Lord of history.
PRAYER: Eternal Father, I thank you for your presence in my life. I praise you for all the favours and graces that I have received from you and I pray that your name may be glorified in my life through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).