THE WORST WORLDWIDE FAMINE

“In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world.” –Genesis 41:57

Mass Readings: July 12
First: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7,17-24; Resp: Psalm 33:2-3,10-11,18-19; Gospel: Matthew 10:1-7

Listen to the Mass Readings

A worldwide famine is one of the worst tragedies. It is even worse than the hundreds of millions of people, especially children, starving at this moment in our world. A worse tragedy than a worldwide famine for food is a famine “for hearing the word of the Lord. Then shall they wander from sea to sea and rove from the north to the east in search of the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it” (Am 8:11-12). We currently are in an even worse condition. We have a worldwide famine for God’s Word not because God’s Word is unavailable but because many people, even Christians, are spiritually anorexic. We have so stuffed ourselves with the things of the flesh that we have lost our appetite for the things of the Spirit (see Prv 13:19; Gal 5:17; 1 Pt 2:11).

We need many Josephs to feed the world. We need many Christians who are greater than Joseph (see Mt 11:11) to feed the world spiritually and break through the spiritual anorexia of Christians. When the Lord returns at the end of time, He wants to find us dispensing our “ration of grain in season” (Lk 12:42) to people who have been freed from spiritual anorexia and are “as eager for milk as newborn babies – pure milk of the Spirit” (1 Pt 2:2). In summary:

• Repent of the sins which cause spiritual anorexia.
• Have a healthy spiritual appetite, similar to the appetite of nursing babies.
• Feed the starving physically and spiritually.
• Break through spiritual anorexia by interceding, prophesying, and fasting.

PRAYER: Father, raise up new Josephs.
PROMISE: “The reign of God is at hand!” –Mt 10:7
PRAISE: Shirley has volunteered at her parish food pantry for years.