Wednesday of the 18th Week of Ordinary Time
We have a real contrast in the readings today. In the first reading from the book of Numbers, we have poor Moses. He’s led the Israelites to Canann. The Lord tells him to send one man, a prince, from each ancestral tribe to check it out. In the part of the chapter that’s left out of our reading, he tells the twelve princes to see what the soil is like. He tells them to bring back some fruit. Are the people living there strong or weak; many or few?
After forty days, the twelve princes come back and give their report. It’s a land of milk and honey, just as the Lord promised. But, the people living there are fierce. “They’re too strong for us. The men there are giants.”
Only Caleb, who is of the tribe of Judah, tries to calm the Israelites. As we’ve seen before, the Israelites start to whine and complain. In spite of all the things that the Lord has done for them, they still don’t get it.
Our reading skips the middle part of the 14th chapter of Numbers. In the part that we didn’t read, God is ready to do away with the Israelites but Moses intervenes again. He convinces the Lord that if he destroys the same people that He had saved from the Egyptians, it will be a terrible PR move. They’ll say “The Lord was not able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them; that is why he slaughtered them in the desert.”
Moses says “Now then, let the power of my Lord be displayed in its greatness, even as you have said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and rich in kindness.’” We pick up the reading at the point where the Lord says, “you spent 40 days scouting the land; you shall suffer 40 years for your crimes: one year for each day.”
Contrast the Israelites with the woman from Canaan in the Gospel, who asks Jesus to help her daughter who is possessed by a demon. The Apostles want to send her away, but her faith is so strong that Jesus is moved to save her daughter.
The people in the first reading have seen firsthand the mighty power of God. They’ve been delivered from Egypt and seen Pharoah’s army drowned in the sea. There should be no reason for them not to believe. But once again, they show their lack of faith.
As we read in the responsorial Psalm,
“But soon they forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel. They gave way to craving in the desert and tempted God in the wilderness.”
“They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.”
But this Canaanite woman’s faith is strong. She believes Jesus will heal her daughter and that’s what He does.
Each of us has times when we’re tempted to question God’s will. But the real test is whether we’re more like the Israelites of the woman from Canaan. How strong is our faith?
After forty days, the twelve princes come back and give their report. It’s a land of milk and honey, just as the Lord promised. But, the people living there are fierce. “They’re too strong for us. The men there are giants.”
Only Caleb, who is of the tribe of Judah, tries to calm the Israelites. As we’ve seen before, the Israelites start to whine and complain. In spite of all the things that the Lord has done for them, they still don’t get it.
Our reading skips the middle part of the 14th chapter of Numbers. In the part that we didn’t read, God is ready to do away with the Israelites but Moses intervenes again. He convinces the Lord that if he destroys the same people that He had saved from the Egyptians, it will be a terrible PR move. They’ll say “The Lord was not able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them; that is why he slaughtered them in the desert.”
Moses says “Now then, let the power of my Lord be displayed in its greatness, even as you have said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and rich in kindness.’” We pick up the reading at the point where the Lord says, “you spent 40 days scouting the land; you shall suffer 40 years for your crimes: one year for each day.”
Contrast the Israelites with the woman from Canaan in the Gospel, who asks Jesus to help her daughter who is possessed by a demon. The Apostles want to send her away, but her faith is so strong that Jesus is moved to save her daughter.
The people in the first reading have seen firsthand the mighty power of God. They’ve been delivered from Egypt and seen Pharoah’s army drowned in the sea. There should be no reason for them not to believe. But once again, they show their lack of faith.
As we read in the responsorial Psalm,
“But soon they forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel. They gave way to craving in the desert and tempted God in the wilderness.”
“They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.”
But this Canaanite woman’s faith is strong. She believes Jesus will heal her daughter and that’s what He does.
Each of us has times when we’re tempted to question God’s will. But the real test is whether we’re more like the Israelites of the woman from Canaan. How strong is our faith?
posted by Mike at 3:29 PM
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