The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our experience of encountering the Divine Presence in the world through events, people, and places.
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| In the cloister |
The passage from the Book of Exodus describes Moses setting up the Tabernacle and God’s Presence in the cloud and fire to guide the Israelites.
* [40:2] On the first day of the first month: almost a year after the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Cf. v. 17.1
Psalm 84 expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.
* [Psalm 84] Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.2
In the Gospel from Matthew Jesus offers more parables to help us focus on the treasures taught by scholars of the Word.
* [13:52] Since Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve (see note on Mt 10:1), this saying about the Christian scribe cannot be taken as applicable to all who accept the message of Jesus. While the Twelve are in many ways representative of all who believe in him, they are also distinguished from them in certain respects. The church of Matthew has leaders among whom are a group designated as “scribes” (Mt 23:34). Like the scribes of Israel, they are teachers. It is the Twelve and these their later counterparts to whom this verse applies. The scribe…instructed in the kingdom of heaven knows both the teaching of Jesus (the new) and the law and prophets (the old) and provides in his own teaching both the new and the old as interpreted and fulfilled by the new. On the translation head of a household (for the same Greek word translated householder in Mt 13:27), see note on Mt 24:45–51.3
Vivian Amu comments that we are living temples, a dwelling place for God.She urges us to clear out the clutter and make room for love, for peace, and for God.
In the kingdom of heaven, that which we consider old, and that which we consider new, shall be gathered together as the same; and what is necessary will be kept, while what is not necessary for the vitality of the soul shall be thrown away. The kingdom of heaven is here; let us be conscious of the cloud we unknowingly allow to settle down upon it, because when clouds take up space, we are unable to move forward in our life journey; it is difficult to see; it is treacherous for movement.4
Don Schwager quotes “A scribe who is trained for the kingdom of heaven,” by Cyril of Alexandria (375-444 AD).
"A scribe is one who, through continual reading of the Old and New Testaments, has laid up for himself a storehouse of knowledge. Thus Christ blesses those who have gathered in themselves the education both of the law and of the gospel, so as to 'bring forth from their treasure things both new and old.' And Christ compares such people with a scribe, just as in another place he says, 'I will send you wise men and scribes' (Matthew 23:34) (excerpt from Fragment 172)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 connects to a 1942 talk entitled “The Weight of Glory,” by the British author C. S. Lewis, who said, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses . . . , for in him also Christ truly hides—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory himself.”
So be on the lookout for the glory of God today. It won’t be as clear as that cloud that led the Israelites, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You might see it in a fellow parishioner who is collecting food for a homeless shelter. You might see it in your neighbor who lovingly cares for her disabled husband. You might even see it in yourself when you readily forgive your spouse or when you step out in faith and offer to pray with someone.6
Deacon Keith Fournier connects the opening of the Gospel of John, Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, and the life of Saint Alphonsus Liguori during the 18th Century in Europe.
(John 1:14) The words rendered in English "dwelt among us" in the biblical text, are literally rendered "He pitched His tent among us." Think about it. The God of the whole universe, who dwelt in inaccessible light, whom no man had ever seen and lived, became a real man - and pitched His home among us!... This image of God pitching his tent and filling it with his glory has been richly reflected upon in the Christian Tradition. It has been seen by many holy men and women as giving us an insight into the role which Mary, the Mother of the Lord, played in God's plan of redemption. She was seen as a new tent of meeting, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit; the new Ark of the Covenant, who became the place where Jesus, the New Covenant, took up residence - and from whom - was born, given for the sake of the world.7
The experience of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, especially in Naples, inspired his teaching that Christians needed to dismantle the sinful structures in society.
Friar Jude Winkler connects the cloud over the dwelling place for the Ark built by Moses to the Annunciation and the Ascension. We need to listen to what we want to hear and what we don’t want to hear and discern what is worthwhile. Friar Jude reminds us of the final accounting theme in Matthew’s Gospel.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us that issues of power and authority loom quite large for black women who are most often marginalized from the centers of power recognized by cultural and social institutions. However, African American women transformed from objects to Subjects through their mystical experiences have been able to establish a sense of inner authority that extends to their active lives. Rebecca Cox Jackson (1795–1871) understood her authority to be rooted in the “gifts of power” she received from God. These gifts included healing, foreknowledge, and . . . literacy. Jackson believed that God had bestowed these gifts upon her so that she could minister to the needs of others.
God makes it clear to Jackson that . . . she is engaging in a process of recreation that meant deconstruction and reconstruction not only of an oppressive worldview but also of the self. The fact that she is being “unmade” and “made again” places her life and ministry in humble perspective. . . .8
The Presence that Moses honoured in the tent of meeting becomes visible in the people around us as we work together for justice and equality as modeled by Saint Alphonsus Liguori.
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