The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today underline the benefit to our understanding of approaching our relationship with God as a journey through which we experience both Divine limitlessness and intimacy.
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| Journey in faith |
The passage from the Book of Exodus describes the rout of the Egyptians who are pursuing the Israelites.
Rout of the Egyptians1
In the response from Exodus 15, the ancient hymn celebrates God’s saving power.
* [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.2
The true family of Jesus follows the will of the Father as proclaimed in the Gospel from Matthew.
* [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
Mike Cherney comments that he may not always be on the same page with God. He sees a God who can be destructive in the passages from Exodus and who leads him to question family loyalty in the second.
I also take note of the difference in the way this message is presented in the Old vs. the New Testament. In the first reading from Exodus Moses leads his people out Egypt. God clears their path and subdues those who would stand in the way. In the Gospel, I think the message is far more subtle. Rather than leaving his family behind, Jesus shows the acceptance and degree of closeness He feels to those who believe. This is a closeness that extends beyond ethnicity or social status.4
Don Schwager asks “What is the essence of being a Christian?”
It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship - a relationship of trust, affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection, and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity. God offers us the greatest of relationships - union of heart, mind, and spirit with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8,16).5
He 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 Exodus 14:21–15:1 notes the Exodus miracles seem beyond anything we can fathom. St. John Chrysostom, an early Church father who died in AD 407, taught that, as marvelous as it was, the Israelites’ exodus was just a foreshadowing of what God would accomplish through Baptism.
“Before yesterday you were captives, but now you are free and citizens of the Church; lately you lived in the shame of your sins, but now you live in freedom and justice. You are not only free, but also holy. You are not only holy, but also righteous. You are not only righteous, but also sons. You are not only sons, but also heirs. You are not only heirs, but also brothers of Christ. You are not only brothers of Christ, but also joint heirs. You are not only joint heirs, but also members. You are not only members, but also the temple. You are not only the temple, but also instruments of the Spirit.”6
A post by Franciscan Media on Saint Bridget of Sweden is a reflection on her visions.
… rather than isolating her from the affairs of the world, involved her in many contemporary issues, whether they be royal policy or the years that the legitimate Bishop of Rome lived in Avignon, France. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a holy life in the marketplace.7
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the archaeological evidence of the “Reed Sea” defeat of the Egyptians. The hymn of Exodus 15 may date to the 13th Century BCE. Friar Jude reminds us of the sweep of Jesus family that includes “cousins” and Mary who is the model of following the will of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, presents the work of Howard Thurman, who like many mystics, saw that humans need to relate to a God that is both beyond rational thought—what I might call a force field of love—and very relatable and personal.
Not only is faith a way of knowing, a form of knowledge, but it is also one of life’s great teachers. At no point is this fact more clearly demonstrated than in an individual’s growing knowledge of God. It is obvious that, in the last analysis, proof of the existence of God is quite impossible. A simple reason for this is the fact that, if there is that to which God may be finally reduced, then He is not ultimate. But let us not be led astray by this apparent abstraction. Faith teaches a man that God is. The human spirit has two fundamental demands that must be met relative to God. First, He must be vast, limitless, transcendent, all-comprehensive, so that there is no thing that is outside the wide reaches of His apprehension. The stars in the universe, the great galaxies of spatial groupings moving in endless rhythmic patterns in the trackless skies, as well as the tiny blade of grass by the roadside, are all within His grasp. The second demand is that He be personal and intimate. A man must have a sense of being cared for, of not being alone and stranded in the universe. All of us want the assurance of not being deserted by life nor deserted in life. Faith teaches us that God is—that He is the fact of life from which all other things take their meaning and reality. When Jesus prayed, he was conscious that, in his prayer, he met the Presence, and this consciousness was far more important and significant than the answering of his prayer. It is for this reason primarily that God was for Jesus the answer to all the issues and the problems of life. When I, with all my mind and heart, truly seek God and give myself in prayer, I, too, meet His Presence, and then I know for myself that Jesus was right.8
In our relationship with God, we may comprehend miraculous changes in and around us like that of the Israelites. We are called to journey to the intimacy of Jesus family within which our alignment with the will of the Father becomes more possible.
References
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(n.d.). Exodus, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/exodus/15
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(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). Saint Bridget, Religious (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved July 23, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/07/23/
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(n.d.). Saint Bridget of Sweden - Franciscan Media. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-bridget/
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(2019, July 23). Faith Teaches — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from https://cac.org/faith-teaches-2019-07-23/
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