The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that the dominant culture may not support our action as we seek to follow the Spirit in our everyday decisions.
The reading from the Book of Exodus describes the birth and youth of Moses and his flight to Midian.
* [2:3] Basket: the same Hebrew word is used in Gn 6:14 and throughout the flood narrative for Noah’s ark, but nowhere else in the Bible. Here, however, the “ark” or “chest” was made of papyrus stalks. Presumably the allusion to Genesis is intentional. Just as Noah and his family were preserved safe from the threatening waters of the flood in the ark he built, so now Moses is preserved from the threatening waters of the Nile in the ark prepared by his mother. Among the reeds: the Hebrew noun for “reed” is overwhelmingly used in the phrase “Reed Sea,” traditionally translated “Red Sea.”
* [2:9] And I will pay your wages: the idea that the child’s mother will be paid for nursing her child—and by Pharaoh’s own daughter—heightens the narrative’s irony.
* [2:10] When the child grew: while v. 9 implies that the boy’s mother cared for him as long as he needed to be nursed (presumably, between two and four years), the same verb appears in v. 11 to describe the attainment of adulthood. And he became her son: Pharaoh’s daughter adopts Moses, thus adding to the irony of the account. The king of Egypt had ordered the killing of all the sons of the Hebrews, and one now becomes the son of his own daughter! Moses: in Hebrew, mosheh. There is a play on words here: Hebrew mosheh echoes meshithihu (“I drew him out”). However, the name Moses actually has nothing to do with that Hebrew verb, but is probably derived from Egyptian “beloved” or “has been born,” preserved in such Pharaonic names as Thutmoses (meaning approximately “Beloved of the god Thoth” or “The god Thoth is born, has given birth to [the child]”). The original meaning of Moses’ name was no longer remembered (if it was Egyptian, it may have contained an Egyptian divine element as well, perhaps the name of the Nile god Hapi), and a secondary explanation was derived from this story (or gave rise to it, if the drawing from the water of the Nile was intended to foreshadow the Israelites’ escape from Egypt through the Red Sea).
* [2:11] After Moses had grown up: cf. 7:7, where Moses is said to be eighty years old at the time of his mission to Pharaoh. Striking: probably in the sense of “flogging”; in v. 12, however, the same verb is used in the sense of “killing.”
* [2:15] Land of Midian: the territory under the control of a confederation made up, according to Nm 31:8, of five Midianite tribes. According to Gn 25:1–2, Midian was a son of Abraham by Keturah. In view of the extreme hostility in later periods between Israel and Midian (cf. Nm 31; Jgs 6–8), the relationship is striking, as is the account here in Exodus of good relations between Moses and no less than a Midianite priest. (Exodus, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 69 is a prayer for deliverance from persecution.
* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Ps 69:23–29). Despite the pain, the psalmist does not lose hope that all be set right, and promises public praise (Ps 69:30–36). The Psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Ps 69:5 in Jn 15:25; Ps 69:22 in Mk 15:23, 36 and parallels and in Jn 19:29. The Psalm prays not so much for personal vengeance as for public vindication of God’s justice. There was, at this time, no belief in an afterlife where such vindication could take place. Redress had to take place now, in the sight of all. (Psalms, PSALM 69, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares woes to unrepentant cities.
* [11:21] Tyre and Sidon were pagan cities denounced for their wickedness in the Old Testament; cf. Jl 4:4–7.
* [11:23] Capernaum’s pride and punishment are described in language taken from the taunt song against the king of Babylon (Is 14:13–15). (Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mary Lee Brock reflects today, the Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, patron saint of hospitals, health care workers and the sick on the love and care of people who choose health professions.
Today we pray for health care professionals who meet people in their most vulnerable and fear-filled moments while bravely facing challenges such as staffing shortages, bureaucratic policies and most recently a global pandemic. Yet these professionals live their vocation with compassion and care. For all health care workers, let us pray.
And today we pray for the sick that they may feel hope and comfort through God’s love. May the friends and families of those experiencing illness and health challenges know a sense of peace. For all the sick, let us pray.
It is so inspiring to witness individuals choosing a vocation of health care. They study and work and apprentice to be able to treat and serve those in need. For health care students, let us pray. (Brock, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Even after miracles they did not repent,” by Jerome (347-420 AD).
"Our Savior laments Chorazin and Bethsaida, cities of Galilee, because after such great miracles and acts of goodness they did not repent. Even Tyre and Sidon, cities that surrendered to idolatry and other vices, are preferred to them. Tyre and Sidon are preferred for the reason that although they trampled down the law, still Chorazin and Bethsaida, after they transgressed natural and written law, cared little for the miracles that were performed among them." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.22.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 2:1-15 comments that we all face difficult decisions at times. Medical treatments, work-related dilemmas, bumpy relationships, and the like can all require hard choices. We can’t always discern which path is the right one or what the outcome will be. This story, however, can reassure us that God is intimately involved in our lives and working through our decisions. What’s more, even if we make what in retrospect seems like the wrong decision, we can trust that God will bring about something good from it.
Maybe you are facing a difficult decision right now, or perhaps you are wondering if a previous decision was the right one. Remember that you don’t know the whole story—but God does! So even as you make hard choices, you can trust that he is always working, even if you can’t see it just yet. He is always bringing about his intentions, not only for you, but for the whole world.
“Lord God, I praise you for working in my life, even when I can’t see it.” (Meditation on Exodus 2:1-15, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler relates the story of Moses' birth, care by Pharaoh's daughter, and exile to Midian after killing an Egyptian. The cities of Galilee refused to convert after Jesus' great miracles. Friar Jude reminds us to look for the great deeds among us that are calling us to be the Christians that we are.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez (b. 1928) who teaches God’s love for the poor—and all of us.
One of the central axioms of liberation theology has thus been “the preferential option for the poor.” Sometimes this concept is misinterpreted to mean that there is a competition for God’s love between the rich and the poor. This is not the meaning. In fact, the concept displays the universality of God’s love for all—a love that, in a world structured to the benefit of the powerful, extends even to the least among us. In fact, Jesus shows us that God’s love is clearest there. Like a mother who tends most tenderly to the weakest and threatened of her children, so it is with God’s care for the poor. And the call of the gospel is for us to do the same, to make the same option, to show that God’s love is universal by focusing our attention on the most threatened among us. [2] (Rohr, 2023)
We receive consolation from the Spirit as we encounter indifference and rejection in our environment.
References
Brock, M. L. (2023, July 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/071823.html
Exodus, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/2?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?
Meditation on Exodus 2:1-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/07/18/736002/
Psalms, PSALM 69. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/69?3
Rohr, R. (2023, July 18). God's Universal Love — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gods-universal-love-2023-07-18/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Will You Be Exalted to Heaven? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jul18
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