The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with a need to review how many modern modes of life are leading us away from the journey that God invites us to follow for freedom and full life.
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| Journey for Life |
The passage from the Book of Exodus reflects the enormous trust in God that accompanied the exodus from Egypt.
* [12:38] Mixed ancestry: not simply descendants of Jacob; cf. Nm 11:4; Lv 24:10–11.1
In Psalm 136 God, who created the people and gave them land, continues to protect and nurture them, is praised.
* [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
The Chosen Servant described in Gospel from Matthew is Jesus as the Son of Man and Suffering 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
Jeanne Schuler comments that as moderns, we take pride in my choices, my work, my property, my serenity. The accent falls on the self. At an extreme, the individual places herself outside institutions as their authentic source. But the triumphant individual washes up on a lonely shore. The ring on my finger, the neighborhood school, the congregation, clean water, and decent health care make manifest how we belong to others from the start.
The children of God left Egypt with relatives of mixed ancestry. They did not travel alone. We honor our immigrant ancestors who journeyed to a new life. Those seeking asylum are neighbors in trouble, not invaders. To break the cycle of violence, let us open our hearts to the strangers at the border.
God tells us to “find Me” in the poor. Each creature matters, every tear is felt: “he cured them all.” We find balance in being connected to God and to our neighbor. At a distance, fears mount. Side by side, we encounter the body of Christ.4
Don Schwager shares a love emphasis in Psalm 136:1,10-15,23-24
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. 10 to him who smote the first-born of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 13 to him who divided the Red Sea in sunder, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures for ever;5
and 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 declares that God is keeping vigil over us too. He isn’t put off by the disorder or chaos of our life. He knows everything about us, and he is keeping vigil, ready to bring order out of chaos.
Is something unresolved in your life? Remember the Israelites! They spent years and years in slavery while God kept silent vigil over them. It wasn’t until he called Moses that he set his plan in motion. And even then, he waited for just the right moment. Like the Israelites, you might feel frustrated, unsettled, or afraid as you wait for God to work. But God is not frustrated. He knows just the right time for you!6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the exaggeration of the size of the procession in Exodus. Observing the Passover to freedom, has been neglected in times of rule by bad leaders. Friar Jude discusses the vocabulary used by Jesus in self description.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares prayer is sitting in the silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise. Mature prayer always breaks into gratitude. He offers a body prayer from Beverly Lanzetta.
Holy Earth, Holy Cosmos,
I bow before you
With my whole being.
Holy Creatures, Holy Nature,
I kneel upon the earth
In honor and thanksgiving
Of your blessed bounty.
Holy Waters, Holy Mountains,
I lay my body on your temple
In gratefulness for nurturing
My tender soul.
Holy Passion, Holy Longing,
I rise up before you
A devotee of truth,
Following wherever you lead me.
Holy Silence, Holy Solitude,
I place my hands over my heart
Breathing in serenity,
Breathing out your peace.
Holy Sorrow, Holy Suffering,
I close my hands in prayer
May I bear every wound
With compassion and nonharm.
Holy Humility, Holy Emptiness,
I bow my head before you
I have become open,
For your All to shine in my soul.
Holy Freedom, Holy Rejoicing,
I open my heart to the world
Offering myself to this day,
In joyfulness and gratitude.
Amen. [1]7
The texts today remind us that Love, mercy, justice, praise, and contemplation are tools that the followers of the Suffering Servant need to bring to the chaos of today.
References
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(n.d.). Exodus, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/exodus/12
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 136 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/136
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3
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(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12
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4
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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5
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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6
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(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/07/20/
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7
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(n.d.). Introduction to Christian Mysticism: Weekly Summary — Center for .... Retrieved July 20, 2019, from https://cac.org/introduction-to-christian-mysticism-weekly-summary-2019-07-20/
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