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Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God! Today we reflect on the readings from the Book of Exodus (Exodus 16:1-5,9-15) and the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (Matthew 13:1-9). These passages invite us to trust in God's divine providence and to welcome the seed of His Word into our hearts with faith.
First Reading (Exodus 16:1-5,9-15):
In the desert, the people of Israel grumble against Moses and Aaron because of hunger. In His mercy, God responds by sending manna, the bread from heaven, as a sign of His faithfulness and care. He instructs the people to gather only what they need for each day, teaching them to rely on His daily provision.
This reading reminds us that God takes care of us in every situation. Even in scarcity, He gives us exactly what we need. Our role is to trust in His loving presence.
Gospel (Matthew 13:1-9):
Jesus tells the parable of the sower. The seed represents the Word of God, which falls on different types of soil: the path, rocky ground, among thorns, and good soil. Only the seed on good soil produces an abundant harvest.
This parable challenges us to ask: what kind of soil are we? Do we welcome God’s Word with open hearts? He sows generously; the fruit depends on how we receive His message.
Reflection and Call to Conversion
God feeds us with His Word and with the bread from heaven. He calls us to trust in His providence and to prepare our hearts to receive His message. May we be good soil, ready to bear fruit in faith, hope, and love.
Share in the comments: how do the manna from the desert and the parable of the sower speak to your heart today?
📖 Readings of the Day:
First Reading: Exodus 16:1-5,9-15
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9
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[Music]
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Reading from the book of Exodus. The
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whole community of the children of
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Israel set out from Alem and arrived in
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the desert of Sin between Alm and Si. On
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the 15th day of the second month after
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their departure from Egypt, the
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community of the children of Israel
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began to grumble against Moses and Aaron
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in the wilderness, saying, "If only we
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had died by the hand of the Lord in
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Egypt when we sat together around pots
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of meat and ate our fill of bread, why
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have you brought us into this wilderness
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to starve all these people to death?"
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The Lord said to Moses, "I will rain
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down bread from heaven for you. The
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people shall go out daily and gather
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only a day's portion, so that I may test
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them to see whether they will walk in my
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law or not. On the sixth day, when they
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prepare what they brought, they will
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have twice as much as they gather daily.
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Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole
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Israelite community, present yourselves
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before the Lord, for he has heard your
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grumbling." While Aaron was speaking to
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the whole Israelite community, they
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looked toward the wilderness and saw the
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glory of the Lord appearing in the
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cloud. Then the Lord spoke to Moses,
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saying, "I have heard the grumbling of
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the Israelites. Tell them, in the
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evening you shall eat meat, and in the
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morning you shall be satisfied with
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bread. Then you shall know that I am the
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Lord your God." In the evening a flock
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of quail came and covered the camp, and
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in the morning a layer of dew formed
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around the camp. When the dew had
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evaporated, something fine, grainy, as
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fine as frost on the ground appeared on
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the surface of the wilderness. When the
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Israelites saw it, they said to one
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another, "What is it?" For they did not
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know what it was. Moses answered them,
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"This is the bread the Lord has given
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you to eat. The word of the Lord. Thanks
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be to God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, Lord. On that day, Jesus left
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the house and sat by the Sea of Galilee.
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A large crowd gathered around him. So he
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got into a boat and sat there while the
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crowd stood on the shore. And he told
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them many things in parables. A sewer
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went out to sew. As he sowed, some seeds
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fell along the path, and the birds came
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and devoured them. Other seeds fell on
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rocky ground where they did not have
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much soil. They immediately sprouted
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because they had no depth of soil. But
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when the sun came up, they were scorched
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and withered because they had no root.
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Other seeds fell among thorns, and the
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thorns grew and choked them. Other seeds
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fell on good soil and produced a yield
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of 100fold, 60fold, and 30fold. Whoever
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has ears, let them hear. Word of
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salvation. Glory to you, Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine for a moment that you are lost
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in a vast expanse of arid land. The
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scorching sun beats down on your faces.
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The hot sand burns your bare feet. And
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your empty stomach has been complaining
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for days. Suddenly, at dawn, you
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discover that the ground around you is
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covered in small white flakes, sweet as
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honey, completely satisfying your
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hunger. This is not a fantasy, but the
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reality experienced by the people of
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Israel in the desert when God provided
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mana from heaven. In today's first
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reading, we witness a crucial moment in
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the journey of the chosen people. Just
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45 days after their miraculous
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deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites
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begin to murmur against Moses and Aaron.
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Would that we had died by the hand of
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the Lord in the land of Egypt. They
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lament when we sat by the pots of meat
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and ate our fill of bread. What bitter
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irony. They had been slaves in Egypt,
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oppressed, forced to work under inhumane
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conditions. Yet faced with the first
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hardship in the desert, their selective
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memory made them idealize the time of
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slavery. How often do we do this too?
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When we face challenges on our spiritual
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journey, aren't we tempted to look back
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with nostalgia, idealizing even
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situations we know were unhealthy for
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us. But notice God's response to this
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murmuring. Instead of punishing
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severely, he responds with abundant
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providence. Behold, I will rain bread
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from heaven for you, declares the Lord.
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What extraordinary grace. God not only
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meets their physical needs, but does so
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in a way that reveals his abundant and
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caring nature. The mana was not just
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food. It was a daily lesson in trust and
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dependence. God instructed the people to
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gather only enough for each day except
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on the sixth day when they were to
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gather a double portion for the Sabbath.
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This was a practical school of faith.
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Teaching them to trust in divine
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providence day after day. Imagine the
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spiritual discipline involved. Waking up
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each morning knowing that their survival
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depended entirely on God's faithfulness.
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There were no guarantees other than the
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divine promise. There was no safety
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stock, no reserve for hard times. It was
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pure dependence, faith in its raw state.
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And what did this mana look like? The
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text tells us it was a tiny thing like
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frost on the ground. White as coriander
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seed and tasted like wafers made with
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honey. Small, delicate, sweet. It wasn't
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ostentatious or impressive, but it was
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sufficient. God often works this way in
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our lives. Not through grand spectacles,
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but through daily provisions, modest but
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sufficient. Moving on to the gospel, we
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find Jesus telling the parable of the
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swer. And again we encounter the theme
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of divine provision but this time not of
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physical food but of the word of God the
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nourishment of the soul. Jesus paints a
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familiar scene. A sewer going out to
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sew. With broad generous gestures he
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scatters the seeds. Some fall along the
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path and are devoured by birds. Others
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fall on rocky ground and though they
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sprout quickly soon wither for lack of
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deep roots. Some fall among thorns and
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are choked. But others fall on good soil
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and produce abundant fruit. Some 30fold,
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some 60, some 100fold. What a powerful
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image of divine generosity. Note that
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the sewer is not selective or cautious
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with his seeds. He scatters them
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abundantly, even knowing that not all
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will find fertile soil. This reveals
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something profound about God's heart. He
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is generous beyond our comprehension,
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offering his word, his grace, his
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blessings even when he knows that not
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everyone will receive or respond
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adequately. This parable invites us to a
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profound reflection. What kind of soil
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are we? When the word of God is sown in
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our lives through the liturgy, the
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personal reading of scripture, and the
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teachings of the church, how do we
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respond? Sometimes unfortunately we are
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like the soil on the path hardened by
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life, by disappointments, by worries.
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The word reaches us but cannot
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penetrate. We are like those Israelites
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who even seeing the mana each morning
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continued to murmur and doubt. Other
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times we are like the rocky ground. We
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receive the word with initial
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enthusiasm. But when difficulties arise,
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when our faith is tested, we discover
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that our roots were shallow. Like those
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who gathered mana only when convenient,
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our faith is inconsistent. There are
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times when we are like the thorny
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ground. The word is planted, but the
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worries of the world, the lure of
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riches, and the pleasures of life stifle
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its growth. It's as if we prefer the
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pots of flesh of Egypt to the mana from
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heaven that God offers us. But the good
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news, and this is truly good news, is
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that we can also be the good soil. We
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can be those who receive the word,
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embrace it deeply in our hearts, and
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allow it to produce abundant fruit in
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our lives. How do we become this good
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soil? How do we cultivate hearts
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receptive to God's word? First, just as
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the Israelites needed to gather mana
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daily, we need to feed on God's word
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regularly. We cannot live on past
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spiritual experiences. We need fresh
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daily spiritual nourishment. This means
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dedicating consistent time to prayer,
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reading scripture, and participating in
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the Eucharist. Second, we need to
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cultivate gratitude. The Israelites
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grumbled despite God's miraculous
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provision. How often do we lose sight of
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the constant blessings God pours out
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upon us? Gratitude softens the hardened
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heart and makes it receptive to God's
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action. Third, we need to develop deep
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roots through reflection and meditation.
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It is not enough to hear the word. We
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need to chew it. As animals chew their
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food repeatedly to extract all the
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nutrients. We need to allow the word to
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penetrate deeply into our consciousness
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shaping our thoughts and actions.
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Fourth, we need to constantly remove the
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thorns from our lives. those desires,
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worries, and distractions that compete
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with God for our attention. This
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requires spiritual discipline,
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simplicity of life, and a constant
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reordering of our priorities. Finally,
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we need to be patient with the process
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of growth. The fruit does not appear
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immediately. Just as the mana was
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gathered daily but sustained us
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throughout the journey, the fruits of
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the word in our lives may manifest
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gradually, but they will surely appear
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if we remain faithful. My dear brothers
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and sisters, today we are invited to
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reflect on our receptivity to God's
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generous provision. Just as he provided
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mana in the desert to sustain our
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bodies, he continues to provide his word
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to sustain our souls. May we stop
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grumbling about what we don't have and
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begin to recognize and be grateful for
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the abundant spiritual provision God
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places before us each day. May we be
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like the good soil, receiving the word
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with open hearts and allowing it to
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produce in us fruits of love, joy,
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peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
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faithfulness, gentleness, and
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self-control. And just as mana sustained
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the Israelites on their journey to the
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promised land, may the word of God
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sustain us on our pilgrimage toward the
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eternal kingdom, where there will be no
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more hunger or thirst, for we will be
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forever in the presence of the one who
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is the bread of life. May the Lord bless
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and keep us and may we be faithful
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gatherers of the spiritual mana that he
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generously pours out upon us each day.
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Amen.
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[Music]
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]
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[Music]