8th JULY. WEDNESDAY IN WEEK 14

1.Genesis 41-42

2.Matthew 10:1-7

Giving and sharing

From the first reading we hear that when the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.”(Genesis 41:55).

In God’s ideal kingdom , the world’s produce is to be shared with everyone; and by good will and planning  there should be plenty for all. Much later in its history we discover that the Israelite Kingdom, this right of sharing in resources was neglected. Whenever the poor are wronged, prosperous folk tend to worship gods other than Yahweh. But when the wealthy selfishly let their neighbours go hungry, fearless prophets rose to voice the anger of God, who rescues his poor out of slavery.

From the first reading we learn a lesson that we need ways of sharing in each other’s gift without losing our personal dignity and sense of equality. In our countries today, more especially third world countries there is unequal distribution of resources. We find that there is a gap between the rich and the poor. The daily bread is not equally distributed. The morality of serving other’s need is lost. Those in high political position have made the resources of their respective countries and regions their personal gain instead of serving people more especially those who cannot even afford to have a one day meal. We are all invited to go beyond the measures given by Joseph in Egypt, remembering that when we give to others, it is a God-willed sharing, not merely giving things away.

Today’s gospel shows how much Jesus wants his message to be widely shared. The lesson we learn from the gospel reading is that the mission of Jesus is the shared mission. The mission of Jesus is not private affair. In our church today collaborative ministry should be strongly encouraged. The spirit of individuality should be discouraged simply because nobody is strong enough to accomplish the mission of Jesus in loneliness; we need to involve others in this mission. Clericalism and Parochialism should be discouraged because these are some of the obstacles hindering the mission of the Church of God. Jesus shared table with Matthew the tax collector and with others who would have been classified as sinners, and certainly not as trained rabbis. He has broken bread with them at table, and at the same time broken God’s word with them, God’s healing and merciful word. As Jesus clearly realizes, “it is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick.” Sending out his twelve apostles, the Lord continues to speak that word of love and light into the darkest and most troubled places of our lives. He keeps offering us the bread his word to satisfy our deepest hunger