The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the Spirit to encounter God in the human experience of today.
In the Book of Exodus, Pharaoh pursues the Israelites.
* [14:7] Officers: cf. 1 Kgs 9:22; Ez 23:15. The Hebrew word shalish, rendered in 1 Kgs 9:22 as “adjutant,” has yet to have its meaning convincingly established. Given the very possible etymological connection with the number “three,” others suggest the translation “three-man crew” or, less likely, the “third man in the chariot” although Egyptian chariots carried two-man crews. The author of the text may have been describing the chariots of his experience without direct historical knowledge of Egyptian ways.
* [14:9] Horsemen: the usage here may be anachronistic, since horsemen, or cavalry, play a part in warfare only at the end of the second millennium B.C. (Exodus, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
The Book of Exodus celebrates the Song of Moses.
* [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. (Exodus, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the Sign of Jonah.
* [12:38–42] This section is mainly from Q (see Lk 11:29–32). Mk 8:11–12, which Matthew has followed in Mt 16:1–4, has a similar demand for a sign. The scribes and Pharisees refuse to accept the exorcisms of Jesus as authentication of his claims and demand a sign that will end all possibility of doubt. Jesus’ response is that no such sign will be given. Because his opponents are evil and see him as an agent of Satan, nothing will convince them.
* [12:38] Teacher: see note on Mt 8:19. In Mt 16:1 the request is for a sign “from heaven” (Mk 8:11).
* [12:39] Unfaithful: literally, “adulterous.” The covenant between God and Israel was portrayed as a marriage bond, and unfaithfulness to the covenant as adultery; cf. Hos 2:4–14; Jer 3:6–10.
* [12:40] See Jon 2:1. While in Q the sign was simply Jonah’s preaching to the Ninevites (Lk 11:30, 32), Matthew here adds Jonah’s sojourn in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, a prefigurement of Jesus’ sojourn in the abode of the dead and, implicitly, of his resurrection.
* [12:41–42] The Ninevites who repented (see Jon 3:1–10) and the queen of the south (i.e., of Sheba; see 1 Kgs 10:1–13) were pagans who responded to lesser opportunities than have been offered to Israel in the ministry of Jesus, something greater than Jonah or Solomon. At the final judgment they will condemn the faithless generation that has rejected him. (Matthew, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
Jeanne Schuler comments that Scripture is full of signs. She asks what sparks Jesus’ harsh reply?
Being curious takes different paths. We may enter into mystery as we seek truth. Some questions set traps. Augustine condemns the lust of the eye—curiosity without wonder. The scribe in me pounces on signs to score points.
In the night I look back. Another ordinary day brings signs of God’s faithful presence. (Schuler, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “The stumbling block of the cross,” from an anonymous early Christian teacher.
"What is the sign of Jonah? The stumbling block of the cross. So it is not the disputers of knowledge who will be saved but those who believe true teaching. For the cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling block to those who dispute knowledge but salvation to those who believe. Paul testifies to this: 'But we, for our part, preach the crucified Christ - to the Jews indeed a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God' (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Why do the Jews seek signs and the Greeks seek wisdom? God pointed to the sign of the stumbling block of the cross to both the Jews and the Greeks. Thus those who wish to find Christ not through faith but through wisdom will perish on the stumbling block of foolishness. Those who wish to know the Son of God not through faith but through a demonstration of signs will remain trapped in their disbelief, falling on the stumbling block of his death. It is no small wonder that the Jews, considering the death of Christ, thought he was merely a man, when even Christians - as they purport to be but really are not - because of his death are reluctant to declare the only begotten, the crucified, as incomparable majesty. (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 30) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 14:5-18 suggests to try memorizing a Scripture passage that strikes at the root of whatever makes us most fearful. Recall it. Repeat it.Resolve to hold onto it when fear threatens.
Recalling truths from Scripture can help you become aware of God’s presence in every situation. It can calm your heart and bring you peace. When your mind is steadied on the Lord, you will be able to know what to do. And in the stillness of his peace, the Lord himself will fight for you.
“Jesus, calm my heart when I am afraid. Help me to stand firm in your peace, knowing that you are at my side.” (Meditation on Exodus 14:5-18, n.d.)
Franciscan Media marks the Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, priest.
John Paul II often said that the Church has two lungs—East and West—and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God’s grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response. (Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for July 24, 2023, 2023)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the complaints of the Israelites throughout the Exodus event. Scholars identify the Hymn Of Mariam as one of the oldest texts in the Bible, dating to !200 BCE, the time of the Exodus. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus as Wisdom Incarnate and the deep value of Wisdom in the Jewish tradition.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to remain with and surrender to the present moment. It is just such a moment that can elicit both awe and surrender from within us: awe before the utterly undeserved and unexpected—and some sweet surrender to the fact that it might just be true. [1]
The spiritual journey is a constant interplay between moments of awe followed by a process of surrender to that moment. We must first allow ourselves to be captured by the goodness, truth, or beauty of something beyond and outside ourselves. Then we universalize from that moment to the goodness, truth, and beauty of the rest of reality, until our realization eventually ricochets back to include ourselves! This is the great inner dialogue we call prayer. Yet we humans resist both the awe and, even more, the surrender. Both together are vital, and so we must practice.
The way to any universal idea is to proceed through a concrete encounter. The one is the way to the many; the specific is the way to the spacious; the now is the way to the always; the here is the way to the everywhere; the material is the way to the spiritual; the visible is the way to the invisible. When we see contemplatively, we know that we live in a fully sacramental universe, where everything is an epiphany. While philosophers tend toward universals and poets love particulars, mystics and contemplative practice teach us how to encompass both. [2] (Rohr, 2023)
We so easily glorify the past and expect the future to be our redemption even as the Spirit invites us to breath and live this moment as a step to Fullness of Life.
References
Exodus, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/14?5
Exodus, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/15?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12?38
Meditation on Exodus 14:5-18. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/24/741586/
Rohr, R. (2023, July 24). Surrendering to the Present Moment — Center for Action and Contemplation. Cac.org. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/surrendering-to-the-present-moment-2023-07-24/
Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for July 24, 2023. (2023, July 24). The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/24/741586/
Schuler, J. (2023, July 24). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072423.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). An Adulterous Generation Seeks for a Sign. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jul24
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