The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the way we can follow the Will of God in our relationship to others and Nature.
The waters recede
The reading from the Book of Exodus describes the rout of the Egyptians during which the pursuers are drowned.
* [15:1–21] This poem, regarded by many scholars as one of the oldest compositions in the Bible, was once an independent work. It has been inserted at this important juncture in the large narrative of Exodus to celebrate God’s saving power, having miraculously delivered the people from their enemies, and ultimately leading them to the promised land.1
The response from Exodus praises God who brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession.
Although the victory it describes over the Egyptians at the sea bears a superficial resemblance in v. 8 to the preceding depiction of the water standing like a wall (14:22), the poem (as opposed to the following prose verse, v. 19) suggests a different version of the victory at sea than that found in chap. 14. There is no splitting of the sea in an act reminiscent of the Lord’s combat at creation with the sea monsters Rahab and Leviathan (Jb 9:13; 26:12; Ps 74:13–14; 89:11; Is 51:9–10); nor is there mention of an east wind driving the waters back so that the Israelites can cross. In this version it is by means of a storm at sea, caused by a ferocious blast from his nostrils, that the Lord achieves a decisive victory against Pharaoh and his army (vv. 1–12). The second half of the poem (vv. 13–18) describes God’s guidance into the promised land.2
In the Gospel of Matthew we ponder who are the true kindred of Jesus.
* [12:46–50] See Mk 3:31–35. Matthew has omitted Mk 3:20–21 which is taken up in Mk 3:31 (see note on Mt 12:22–32), yet the point of the story is the same in both gospels: natural kinship with Jesus counts for nothing; only one who does the will of his heavenly Father belongs to his true family.3
Scott McClure shares that when it comes to contributing to Creighton's Online Ministries through writing these scriptural reflections, he feels quite inadequate, not to mention unqualified.
this whole train of thought is so self-centered when, in truth, this or any other labor in which we engage is not truly about us. Glory for any triumph is not ours but God's. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord swept the sea - not Moses. Further, the Lord saved Israel - not Moses. Here, it seems that Moses's outstretched hand was not so much a gesture of power but, rather, of surrender to the power of God. Too often, perhaps, we live wrestling with our inadequacies, our failures, our shortcomings. These are the brushstrokes that paint an unsatisfying picture of ourselves to behold. But there is hope. And that hope does not rest in ourselves but in God. God labors with us, through us, and for us. God offers the perpetual invitation to do his will and, as Jesus says, be [his] brother, and sister, and mother. Like Moses, may we too surrender to God's will and so glorify him.4
Don Schwager quotes “My mother through faith,” by Gregory the Great (540-604 AD).
"If someone can become the brother of the Lord by coming to faith, we must ask how one can become also his mother. We must realize that the one who is Christ's brother and sister by believing becomes his mother by preaching. It is as though one brings forth the Lord and infuses him in the hearts of one's listeners. And that person becomes his mother if through one's voice the love of the Lord is generated in the mind of his neighbor. (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 3.2)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 12:46-50 comments that none of us are perfect. Just as we don’t always live up to our family responsibilities, we will sometimes fail to live up to the daily challenges of doing our Father’s will. Even when that happens, there is no room for fear. Our heavenly Father is not only loving but merciful as well. He will forgive us and give us every opportunity to try again.
Today, reflect on the fact that you are a beloved member of God’s family. Your heavenly Father cares for you more than the best earthly father ever could. He has an amazing plan for your life: as his son or daughter, you’re given the privilege of helping to build his kingdom on earth. May you always remember who you are and to whom you belong! “Holy Spirit, help me to know in my heart that I am the Father’s child!”6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the experience of the Exodus as an act of God. The Song of Moses in Exodus can be dated to the time of Moses. Friar Jude explains Roman Catholic Tradition that brothers and sisters can be references to cousins in Aramaic and Hebrew languages.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Diana Butler Bass shares how Jesus’ teaching “on the mount” placed him in the lineage of Moses and other revered Jewish prophets. Jesus builds on his own Jewish tradition to call his hearers to transformative living. The German preacher and religious reformer Eberhard Arnold (1883–1935) believed that the people who heard Jesus’ message—both in his own time as well as ours—were obligated to act on the ancient call of God to live the Great Commandment, not simply listen to it.
Near the end of the sermon, Jesus states the Golden Rule, the foundation of all the commandments: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and prophets” (7:12). . . . The crowds got it—Jesus the rabbi was at work renewing and reinterpreting the law and, in the process, claiming the divine authority to do so: a teacher and a prophet. . . .Jesus does not replace. Jesus reimagines and expands, inviting an alternative and often innovative reading of Jewish tradition. [1] It is incredible dishonesty in the human heart to pray daily that this kingdom should come, that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven, and at the same time to deny that Jesus wants this kingdom to be put into practice on earth. Whoever asks for the rulership of God to come down on earth must believe in it and be wholeheartedly resolved to carry it out. Those who emphasize that the Sermon on the Mount is impractical and weaken its moral obligations should remember the concluding words, “Not all who say ‘Lord’ to me shall reach the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven” [Matthew 7:21]. [2]7
The Will of God is expressed to us through the Spirit opening Jesus' teaching to guide our journey.
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