Too heavy for me

Greetings on this the Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Nm 11:4b-15; PS 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Mt 14:13-21
Notes: Much like Moses you may at times feel the agonies and pains of this life for yourself and so many people is beyond our emotional capacity or material resources.

The painful sight of families in need can drive us to despair.

First reading
In today’s first reading Moses is so desperate for help!

He hears the complaints of the people (and not disagreeing with them either).

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.

He ws pretty upset.

Please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress.”

I love Moses.
I love his inner voice of love-distress:

• Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people?
• Was it I who conceived all this people?
• Was it I who gave them birth?
• [Am I] a nurse carrying an infant?
• Where can I get meat to give to all this people?

I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me.

Wow! Can you hear the love in these words of distress?

(spoiler alert) The Lord answers Moses prayers in a spectacular way. See Numbers 11:16-32. Note too these are dense stories, packed full. The Lord answered wonderfully. He always does. What we do after that is, well, sometimes questionable.

Responsorial Psalm
Sing with joy to God our help.

Alleluia Verse
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel Portion
Jesus says… “There is no need for them to go away.

(The disciples were in a Moses-like love-despair).

Bring them here to me,” (all you have bread/fish)
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.

Twelve wicker baskets = tribes of Israel.

The answer to Moses.
The answer to the disciples.

The answer to you:

Bring them to me.
We will feed them together.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry