Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 8-04-03, Memorial of St John Vianney, priest

Reading I
Num 11:4b-15

The children of Israel lamented,
"Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna."

Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.
When they had gone about and gathered it up,
the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,
then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,
which tasted like cakes made with oil.
At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell.

When Moses heard the people, family after family,
crying at the entrance of their tents,
so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.
"Why do you treat your servant so badly?" Moses asked the LORD.
"Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Was it I who conceived all this people?
Or was it I who gave them birth,
that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,
like a foster father carrying an infant,
to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
‘Give us meat for our food.'
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
"My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels."
R Sing with joy to God our help.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand."
R Sing with joy to God our help.
"Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me,
but their fate would endure forever,
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R Sing with joy to God our help.

Gospel
Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
"This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves."
He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves."
But they said to him,
"Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."
Then he said, "Bring them here to me,"
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.

From: Numbers 11:4b-15

Craving for Egyptian Food

[4b] And the people of Israel also wept again, and said, "0 that we had meat
to eat! [5] We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers,
the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; [6] but now our strength
is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."

[7] Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of
bdellium. [8] The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills
or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the
taste of it was like the taste of cake baked with oil. [9] When the dew fell
upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

Moses' Prayer

[10] Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families every man at
the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was
displeased. [11] Moses said to the LORD, "Why hast thou dealt ill with thy
servant? And why have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou dost lay the
burden of aIl this people upon me? [12] Did I conceive all this people? Did
I bring them forth, that thou shouldst say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom,
as a nurse carries the sucking child, to the land which thou didst swear to
give their fathers?' [13] Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?
For they weep before me and say, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' [14] I am
not able to carry all this people alone, the burden is too heavy for me.
[15] If thou wilt deal thus will me, kill me at once, if I find favor in thy
sight, that I may not see my wretchedness."

Commentary:

11:7-9. The people dream of the sort of food they had in Egypt. The manna
was a sign of the providence of God, who supplied his people with food in
the arid desert. Therefore, their lack of appreciation for the manna, and on
top of that their protest against God, show their blindness, their inability
to appreciate the gifts God is giving them. Regarding the manna, cf. the
note on Exodus 16:1-36.

[The note on Exodus 16:1-36 states:

16:1-36. The prodigy of the manna and the quails was a very important sign
of God's special providence towards his people while they were in the
desert. It is recounted here and in Numbers 11, but in both accounts facts
are interwoven with interpretation of same and with things to do with
worship and ethics.

Some scholars have argued that the manna is the same thing as a sweet
secretion that comes from the tamarisk ("tamarix mannifera") when punctured
by a particular insect commonly found in the mountains of Sinai. The drops
of this resin solidify in the coldness of the night and some fall to the
ground. They have to be gathered up early in the morning because they
deteriorate at twenty-four degrees temperature (almost eighty degrees
Celsius). Even today desert Arabs collect them and use them for sucking and
as a sweetener in confectionery.

As we know, quails cross the Sinai peninsula on their migrations back and
forth between Africa and Europe or Asia. In May or June, when they return
from Africa they usually rest in Sinai, exhausted after a long sea crossing;
they can be easily trapped at this point.

Although these phenomenon can show where the manna and the quail come from,
the important thing is that the Israelites saw them as wonders worked by
God. The sacred writer stops to describe the impact the manna had on the
sons of Israel. They are puzzled by it, as can be seen from their remarks
when it comes for the first time: "What is it?" they ask, which in Hebrew
sounds like "man hu", that is, manna (v. 15), which is how the Greek
translation puts it. Indeed, the need to collect it every day gave rise to
complaints about some people being greedy (v. 20) and who did not understand
the scope of God's gift (v. 15). And just as manna is a divine gift to meet
a basic human need (nourishment), so too the divine precepts, specifically
that of the sabbath, are a free gift from the Lord (v. 28). So, obedience is
not a heavy burden but the exercise of a capacity to receive the good things
that God gives to those who obey him.

The prodigy of the manna will resound right through the Bible: in the
"Deuteronomic" tradition it is a test that God gives his people to show them
that "man does not live by bread alone, but [...] by everything that
proceeds from the mouth of the Lord" (Deut 8:3). The psalmist discovers that
manna is "the bread of the strong" ("of angels", says the Vulgate and the
RSV), which God sent in abundance (Ps 78:23ff; cf. Ps 105:40). The book of
Wisdom spells out the features of this bread from heaven "ready to eat,
providing every pleasure and suited to every taste" (Wis 16:20-29). And the
New Testament reveals the full depth of this "spiritual" food (1 Cor 10:3),
for, as the "Catechism" teaches, "manna in the desert prefigured the
Eucharist, 'the true bread from heaven' (Jn 6:32)" ("Catechism of the
Catholic Church", 1094).]

11:10-15. Despite the tone of complaint, in Moses' words we can glimpse
God's relationship to his people: he is their father, he made them into a
people. And the passage also shows the heavy responsibility he put on Moses'
shoulders--to the point that he feels unable to carry it any longer.

The imagery used here to describe God's concern for his people will later be
used by St Paul when he speaks of his concern for all the Christian
communities which grew from his preaching and which he has to guide towards
Christ (cf. I Thess 2:7-11).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 14:13-21

First Miracle of the Loaves and Fish

[13] Now when Jesus heard this, He withdrew from there in a boat to a
lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed Him on
foot from the towns. [14] As He went ashore He saw a great throng; and
He had compassion on them, and healed their sick. [15] When it was
evening, the disciples came to Him and said, "This is a lonely place,
and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages
and buy food for themselves." [16] Jesus said, "They need not go away;
you give them something to eat." [17] They said to Him, "We have only
five loaves here and two fish." [18] And He said, "Bring them here to
Me." [19] Then He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and
taking the five loaves and the two fish He looked up to heaven, and
blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the
disciples gave them to the crowds. [20] And they all ate and were
satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces
left over. [21] And those who ate were about five thousand men,
besides women and children.

Commentary:

14-21. This episode must have occurred in the middle of springtime,
because the grass was green (Mark 6:40; John 6:10). In the Near East
loaves were usually made very thin, which meant it was easy to break
them by hand and distribute them to those at table; this was usually
done by the head of the household or the senior person at the meal.
Our Lord follows this custom, and the miracle occurs when Jesus breaks
the bread. The disciples then distribute it among the crowd. Here
again we can see Jesus' desire to have people cooperate with Him.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. John Mary Vianney was born at Lyons, France in 1786. As a
youth, John exhibited great potential for pastoral ministry. He
developed a deep prayer life and was known around his hometown
for his catechism lessons to his peers. John's desire for ordination
began to manifest itself when John was a young man. His father
opposed him at first because he was a valuable assistant on the
family's farm. Eventually, John was allowed to pursue his vocation.
John entered the seminary at the age of nineteen but struggled
through the seminary because of his lack in previous schooling. John
eventually made it through his schooling and was ordained to the
priesthood in August 1815.

St. John was received his first (and only) assignment to the parish at
Ars, France and gained renown as a confessor and dedicated
pastor. As his reputation grew, it was not unknown for him to spend
more than 11 hours in a confessional in one day, he was known to
regularly hear confessions for more than 16 hours during the
summer.

John never let up in his work or his love for his people. St. John was
known to have physical battles with the devil, bring about miraculous
cures, was graced by God with the gifts of intuition and prophesy and
possessed the ability to read the hearts of penitents. During his life
he established a home for girls and always continued his parish
duties. St. John gained a world wide reputation as a confessor, near
the end of his life it is estimated that he received more than 300
pilgrims per day. John died in 1859, is known as the Cure of Ars, or
Pastor of Ars, and is one of few diocesan priests in the Canon of
Saints. St. John is the patron of priests and parish clergy. Pope Pius
XI canonized St. John Baptiste Mary Vianney a saint on May 31,
1925.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

When our hands have touched spices, they give fragrance to all they
handle. Let us make our prayers pass through the hands of the
Blessed Virgin. She will make them fragrant. -St. John Vianney

TODAY IN HISTORY

1221 Death of St. Dominic
1879 Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical "Aeterni patris,"

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Promises of the Sacred Heart (continued)
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions
4. I will be their secure refuge during life and, above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessing upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray through the intercession of St. John Vianney for all parish priests.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore You, I loved You, and with a lively sorrow for sins, I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make the humble, patient, Pure and wholly obedient to Your will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.

THE PROMISES OF OUR LORD
to Saint Margaret Mary
for Souls Devoted to His Sacred Heart

I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
I will establish peace in their houses.
I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death.
I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.
Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.
Tepid souls shall grow fervent.
Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.
I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in Heart, never to be blotted out.
I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love grant to all those who communicate on First Friday in nine consecutive months grace of final penitence; they shall not in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this lost moment.

With Ecclesiastical Approbation

THIS PICTURE IS BLESSED AND GIVEN TO US
BY THE PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART.
SACRED HEART MONASTERY
HALES CORNERS. Wis. 53130

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, The Archdiocese of Newark, NJ

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.