The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate salvation history that points to the constancy of the desire of God to lead us to full life.
The path to life
The reading from the Book of Exodus details the Departure from Egypt that initiates a vigil to be kept for the Lord.
* [12:38] Mixed ancestry: not simply descendants of Jacob; cf. Nm 11:4; Lv 24:10–11. * [12:40] In Egypt: according to the Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch “in Canaan and Egypt,” thus reckoning from the time of Abraham. Cf. Gal 3:17.1
Psalm 136 declares the mercy in God’s Work in Creation and in history.
* [Psalm 136] The hymn praises Israel’s God (“the God of gods,” Ps 136:2), who has created the world in which Israel lives. The refrain occurring after every line suggests that a speaker and chorus sang the Psalm in antiphonal fashion. A single act of God is described in Ps 136:4–25. God arranges the heavens and the earth as the environment for human community, and then creates the community by freeing them and giving them land. In the final section (Ps 136:23–25) God, who created the people and gave them land, continues to protect and nurture them.2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents Himself as God’s Chosen Servant.
* [12:15–21] Matthew follows Mk 3:7–12 but summarizes his source in two verses (Mt 12:15, 16) that pick up the withdrawal, the healings, and the command for silence. To this he adds a fulfillment citation from the first Servant Song (Is 42:1–4) that does not correspond exactly to either the Hebrew or the LXX of that passage. It is the longest Old Testament citation in this gospel, emphasizing the meekness of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, and foretelling the extension of his mission to the Gentiles.3
George Butterfield quotes material from the Exultet, the Easter Proclamation.
“This is the night of which it is written; The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness. The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty. May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from death’s domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.”4
Don Schwager quotes “The Savior's meekness,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"The prophet celebrated in advance both the Savior's meekness right alongside his unspeakable power. Thereby he opened to the Gentiles a great and effective door. Isaiah also foretold the ills that were to overtake the Jews. He foreknew the Son's oneness with the Father: 'Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him; I have put my Spirit upon him' (Isaiah 42:1). For it is not as an adversary that Christ transcends the law, as if he were an enemy of the Lawgiver, but as though he were of one mind with the Lawgiver and held to the very same purposes. Then, proclaiming the Lord's meekness, Isaiah said, 'He shall not cry nor lift up his voice' (Isaiah 42:20). For his desire indeed was to enable healing in their presence. But since they pushed him away, he did not contend any further against their opposition." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 40.2.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 12:37-42 asks if we will never fully understand God’s ways. We will never grasp why he allows evil to flourish or why he appears deaf to the cries of the poor. This is especially true when we ourselves become poor and needy, as the Israelites did. But there is one thing we can be sure of: God is faithful. He always fulfills his promises. We may not see the fulfillment of some promises when we hope to. There may even be some promises that won’t be fulfilled until after we pass away. But they will all be fulfilled—in God’s good timing and according to his wisdom.
Every day, God asks you one simple question: “Will you trust me?” Some days, it’s easy to give a resounding “Yes!” But other days, it’s a lot harder. We want more proof, more evidence, more answers. When those days come, remember the Israelites and imitate their faith. You are not alone. You are surrounded by so many heroes of the faith cheering you on. “Father, even if I can’t see you or feel your presence today, I will trust that you will fulfill all your promises to me.”6
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the exaggeration of the numbers of the people who are led from Egypt. Matthew quotes the Song of the Suffering Servant from Deutero Isaiah to refer to Jesus. Friar Jude notes that the victory of Jesus is proclaimed by Gentiles as well.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, at the Center for Action and Contemplation often teaches the transforming effects of silence and unknowing. It has been his personal practice for years. At the same time, one of the great gifts of Jesuit spirituality is to teach us how to draw closer to God through images, words, verbal prayer, our imaginations, and the Bible itself. Writer and retreat leader Margaret Silf invites people into the riches of Ignatian contemplation.
When you have chosen a passage, read it several times until it is familiar and you feel at home with it. Now imagine that the event is happening here and now and that you are an active participant in it. Don’t worry if you don’t find it easy to imagine it vividly. . . . And don’t worry about getting the facts right. You may well find that your scene doesn’t take place in first century Palestine, but in Chicago rush-hour traffic, or that the desert tracts of the Good Samaritan story turn into the sidewalks in your neighborhood. Ask God for what you desire—perhaps to meet God more closely or to feel God’s touch upon your life.7
We wait upon the Lord in our contemplative prayer as the Spirit reveals the Presence in our life journey.
References
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