Daily Catholic Lectio
Sat, 6 July 2024
Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time – Saturday
Amos 9:11-15. Matthew 9:14-17
I will plant them!
A priest friend whom I met a few days ago said, “My heart is not rooted in anything that I do. This pains me and drains my energy.”
It is painful when our feet are not planted and our hearts are not rooted.
In the beginning, during the time of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the people of Israel were nomads. They had no land to settle on. When they were settled in the promised land under the leadership of (Moses) and Joshua, they got rooted. But during the time of the Assyrian exile (723-722 AD) they got uprooted. However, the Lord brings them back to the land. The first reading of the day brings to us the narrative of God bringing the people of Israel back to their land.
Amos uses three metaphors to convey the message of the return:
(a) “The ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the vintager, him who sows the seed”
Usually, there is a time lapse between reaping and ploughing. This lapse helps the land recover its resources. In the same way, there is a lapse between vintage and sowing. But, as per the prophecy here, no such lapse is necessary because the land and the vineyard will always be fruitful.
(b) “The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it”
The rain falls on the mountains and drips down. Here, the Lord proposes that grape juice will drip down. ‘Grape juice’ or ‘wine’ symbolises happiness and fulfilment. This word picture suggests the prosperity of the land.
(c) “I will plant them upon their own ground; never again shall they be plucked”
The Lord plants the people of Israel in their own land, thus restoring their identity and mission. And he assures them of his continued protection from the enemies.
Overall, the text speaks about God’s mercy and steadfast love. God is merciful despite the covenantal infidelity of the people of Israel.
In the gospel reading, a discussion emerges around ‘fasting.’ Fasting, which was primarily a religious act, symbolised mourning, loss, lack, and repentance. But Jesus, presenting himself as the bridegroom of joy, makes fasting redundant.
Through the word-pictures of new cloak and new wine, he puts forward ‘joy’ and suggests that his disciples must take advantage of his presence with them.
Let us get ourselves planted where we are, and let us retain God’s joy and peace. Unless God plants us in our land, our feet can’t stand, and unless he fills us with his joy, our joy is not complete.
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A hope-filled heart is planted in the present moment (Jubilee 2025 AD, bite 141).
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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