Song of Crossing the Sea

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary open quite a few paths for our reflection and study. The passages from Exodus which detail the crossing of the sea may be a starting point for contemplation on the violence which claims the Egyptian forces and the relationship this has to God. Many commentators use this passage to present “Red Sea” versus “reed sea” comments to bring the mighty action of God in greater harmony with geography and archaeology. Friar Jude Winkler takes us to the ancient origin of the Song of Miriam which concludes the Exodus texts today. This song has deep spiritualmeaning in Jewish Tradition. It touches a truth in human experience that we often turn to music and song (poetry and art) to try to capture experience which is beyond words. The saving action of God in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt at the time of persecution in the personal experience of Miriam is seen by some rabbinic commentators as a threefold development of the faith of the people in God. Trust as the foundation of faith is experienced by Miriam as she places Moses in the Nile to escape the death sentence of Pharaoh. The trust is deepened for her, the Israelites and for many believers by an experience of transcendence. The Presence is experienced as truly beyond human understanding and the change promised in trust becomes believable. The third phase of faith development comes with Moses delivering the Law whereby the mission of the people to live according to the will of God is faith in action. In the Gospel from Matthew today, the seeds are also sown, as noted by Friar Jude, to explore the nature of Jesus “brothers and sisters” through language and comparison of Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox tradition but the deeper link to faith development and to Exodus is through the proclamation of Jesus to the Christian Jewish audience of Matthew that the faith relationship with God is to do the Will of the Father.