JULY272023

The readings today provide a dramatic contrast in ways to approach God. In the Book of Exodus the Hebrew Children are led to the mountain of God where they are reduced to awe at the presence of God. There were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Contrast the way that Jesus invited us to approach God by means of parables. Look at seeds growing, bread rising, weddings, dinner parties, fathers and sons and you can become close to God. However, Jesus warns us that most times we don’t have the eyes and ears to recognize the presence of God in our midst. The spectacle is attractive — but as the story of Israel demonstrates it fades. The ordinary is revelatory — but we must have the kind of sight that leads to insight. The extraordinary is hidden in the ordinary.