The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the signs that God remains close to us, especially when events test our trust in Providence.
The reading from Exodus describes Moses as an advocate for the stiff necked people who worshipped the Golden Calf.
* [32:11–13] Moses uses three arguments to persuade the Lord to remain faithful to the Sinai covenant even though the people have broken it: (1) they are God’s own people, redeemed with God’s great power; (2) God’s reputation will suffer if they are destroyed; (3) the covenant with Abraham still stands. The Lord’s change of mind is a testimony to Israel’s belief in the power of intercessory prayer. (Exodus, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 106 is a Confession of Israel’s Sins.
* [Psalm 106] Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel (Ps 106:1–3). The speaker, on behalf of all, seeks solidarity with the people, who can always count on God’s fidelity despite their sin (Ps 106:4–5). Confident of God’s mercy, the speaker invites national repentance (Ps 106:6) by reciting from Israel’s history eight instances of sin, judgment, and forgiveness. The sins are the rebellion at the Red Sea (Ps 106:6–12; see Ex 14–15), the craving for meat in the desert (Ps 106:13–15; see Nm 11), the challenge to Moses’ authority (Ps 106:16–18; see Nm 16), the golden calf episode (Ps 106:19–23; see Ex 32–34), the refusal to take Canaan by the southern route (Ps 106:24–27; see Nm 13–14 and Dt 1–2), the rebellion at Baal-Peor (Ps 106:28–31; see Nm 25:1–10), the anger of Moses (Ps 106:32–33; see Nm 20:1–13), and mingling with the nations (Ps 106:34–47). The last, as suggested by its length and generalized language, may be the sin that invites the repentance of the present generation. The text gives the site of each sin: Egypt (Ps 106:7), the desert (Ps 106:14), the camp (Ps 106:16), Horeb (Ps 106:19), in their tents (Ps 106:25), Baal-Peor (Ps 106:28), the waters of Meribah (Ps 106:32), Canaan (Ps 106:38). (Psalms, PSALM 106 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, witnesses to Jesus are proclaimed.
* [5:32] Another: likely the Father, who in four different ways gives testimony to Jesus, as indicated in the verse groupings Jn 5:33–34, 36, 37–38, 39–40.
* [5:35] Lamp: cf. Ps 132:17—“I will place a lamp for my anointed (= David),” and possibly the description of Elijah in Sir 48:1. But only for a while, indicating the temporary and subordinate nature of John’s mission.
* [5:39] You search: this may be an imperative: “Search the scriptures, because you think that you have eternal life through them.”
* [5:41] Praise: the same Greek word means “praise” or “honor” (from others) and “glory” (from God). There is a play on this in Jn 5:44. (John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
Robby Francis comments that like the audience Jesus speaks to, we can fail to see God right in front of us. The situation isn’t ideal or what we would like it to be, therefore, we believe God must be absent. Or a hard truth is presented to us, and instead of going deeper to see what it has to teach us, we may reject it and perhaps even diminish its source, because we can’t believe God would condone this.
As we near the end of the fourth week of Lent, we are invited to continue reflecting on those barriers that prevent us from encountering God. The hard truth is that sometimes, we're the barriers. It’s our attitudes, our beliefs, and our resistances that can be the primary barriers. We are called to be a discerning people who go deep within―sometimes to uncomfortable spaces―to distinguish what comes from our false notions of how things should be and where the invitations to see things anew surface. (Francis, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Christ is our Master who teaches us,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354- 430 A.D.
"There is a Master within Who teaches us. Christ is our Master, and his inspiration and his anointing teaches us. Where his inspiration and his anointing are lacking, it is in vain that words resound in our ears. As Paul the Apostle said: 'I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.' Therefore, whether we plant or whether we water by our words, we are nothing. It is God Who gives the increase; His anointing teaches you all things." (excerpt from Sermon on 1 John 3,13) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 32:7-14 comments that Moses saw how the Israelites had turned to idolatry and knew their behavior was bringing condemnation upon them. He could have thrown up his hands and despaired over his people. He could have given up or become bitter at their betrayal of God and himself. But instead, he prayed fervently that the Lord would have mercy on them. And his prayers made a difference! God turned aside his wrath and judgment.
So pray right now for mercy. Bring to the Lord all the concerns that make you feel powerless or tempt you to despair. Pray for those difficult situations that you see in the world or in the Church. But also pray for mercy for yourself and your loved ones. As you invite him into each situation, you will notice that your thoughts begin to turn from fear and resignation toward hope and trust. That old saying is true: “Prayer changes things.” You can do something; your prayers do make a difference!
“Lord, have mercy on us and on the whole world!” (Meditation on Exodus 32:7-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the chutzpah of Moses in his dialogue with God in Exodus. Our prayer can express our real emotion even anger at God. Friar Jude notes that we may ignore the signs that God reveals to call us to our “predestination” that we be saved.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces therapist and author Aundi Kolber who names the paradox of experiencing difficult realities while honoring our God-given dignity. Kolber names some of the painful experiences of our shared reality.
The death, the loss of freedom, the fear, the sickness, the anger, the polarization, the scarcity, the pain. It feels hard because it is hard and has been hard.… Those who had experienced a certain level of healing before the [COVID-19] pandemic may have found themselves either triggered again or retraumatized. Folks who were already carrying the burden of chronic trauma, poverty, racism, discrimination, or other hardships may have felt those experiences intensified or worsened. Certainly, we do not want to make our home inside grief, but let us be clear: Unless we make room for the reality of our entire human experience, grief will insist on taking over the whole house.
But as we are able, God invites us to see what is so we can unlearn all the untrue narratives, keep our eyes open for safety and goodness, and enter the deeper and truer story. Dear ones, we don’t have to pretend that simply existing doesn’t hurt sometimes. It does and it has. Instead, without bypassing this reality, we are invited to move toward the resources that will allow us to soften into hope. (Rohr, n.d.)
As we journey in life, we need to seek the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to reveal the Presence of God in our experiences of the difficulties of life.
References
Exodus, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/32?7
Francis, R. (2024, March 14). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/031424.html
John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/5?31
Meditation on Exodus 32:7-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/14/912636/
Psalms, PSALM 106 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/106?19
Rohr, R. (n.d.). We Can’t Bypass Reality. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/we-cant-bypass-reality/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Father's Witness to Jesus. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar14
No comments:
Post a Comment