20210727 WE CANNOT JOURNEY WITHOUT THE LORD
27 July, 2021, Tuesday, 17th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Exodus 33:7-11,34:5-9,28 © |
'They are a headstrong people; but forgive us our faults'
Moses used to take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, at some distance from the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone who had to consult the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting, outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise. Every man would stand at the door of his tent and watch Moses until he reached the Tent; the pillar of cloud would come down and station itself at the entrance to the Tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. When they saw the pillar of cloud stationed at the entrance to the Tent, all the people would rise and bow low, each at the door of his tent. The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would turn back to the camp, but the young man who was his servant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the Tent.
And the Lord descended in the form of a cloud, and Moses stood with him there.
He called on the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness; for thousands he maintains his kindness, forgives faults, transgression, sin; yet he lets nothing go unchecked, punishing the father’s fault in the sons and in the grandsons to the third and fourth generation.’ And Moses bowed down to the ground at once and worshipped. ‘If I have indeed won your favour, Lord,’ he said ‘let my Lord come with us, I beg. True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.’
Moses stayed there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, eating and drinking nothing. He inscribed on the tablets the words of the Covenant – the Ten Words.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 102(103):6-13 © |
The Lord is compassion and love.
The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgement for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.
The Lord is compassion and love.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
The Lord is compassion and love.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
The Lord is compassion and love.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him.
The Lord is compassion and love.
Gospel Acclamation | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:36-43 © |
As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
WE CANNOT JOURNEY WITHOUT THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ex 33:7-11; 34:5-9. 28; Ps 103:6-13; Mt 13:36-43]
Yesterday, the first reading ended with the Lord sending an angel to go with Israel in His place henceforth. “Go now, lead the people to the place of which I told you. My angel shall go before you but, on the day of my visitation, I shall punish them for their sin.” This was on account of their sins. He told the people, “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Ex 33:3) “When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments.” (Ex 33:4) For once, they were faced with the prospect of journeying without the Lord. This would be too precarious. They would be like sheep without a shepherd.
However, the truth is that God and sin cannot not co-exist. This was what the Lord meant when He said that His holiness would destroy them because of their sinfulness. Hence, it was necessary for God to live outside the community instead of being at the centre of the camp, as He had earlier instructed them to build a tabernacle. This is why we read that “Moses used to take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, at some distance from the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting.” God was no longer at the centre of the camp to direct the people.
However, in the case of Moses, “the Lord would speak with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” Such was the privileged relationship Moses had with Yahweh. He had this intimacy with Him that no others had. God regarded Moses as a friend, sharing about His plans for Israel. The Lord also told His disciples a similar thing at the end of His ministry. “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” (Jn 15:15) When we are friends with God, this is the true place of meeting.
Indeed, the Tent of Meeting is not so much a place but where our heart is. Moses pitched the Tent of Meeting outside the community of sinners so that he could be in the presence of God. We too are called to meet the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The Lord told His disciples, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them. Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (Jn 14:20,21,23)
But once again, we see how Moses who had won God’s favour used his friendship with the Lord to appeal to Him to reconsider His decision not to go with them. Moses said to the Lord, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” (Ex 33:15f) Indeed, Moses did not think he had the confidence to lead God’s people to the Promised Land unless He went with them. After all, that was what the Lord promised Him when He called him to lead His people out of Egypt. God has said to him, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” So Moses said, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.” (Ex 33:14f) Moses was well aware that this task cannot be achieved by himself or his strength alone. He could only act insofar as the Lord was with Him. But now that the Lord was not going with them, he was at a loss and felt discouraged.
God in His love assured Moses that he had found favour in his sight. Hence, Moses should have every confidence to go ahead in leading the people to the Promised Land. So the Lord told Moses that He would do whatever favour he asked from Him as a sign of His favour upon Him. “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.” (Ex 33:17) God always answers the prayers of those who are one with Him in mind and will. The Lord promised, “I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” (Jn 14:12-14)
What was the request of Moses then? Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” (Ex 33:18) And the Lord said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Ex 33:19) And so Moses hid behind the cleft of a rock since a man cannot see God face to face and live. (Ex 33:20-22) The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness; for thousands he maintains his kindness, forgives faults, transgression, sin, yet he lets nothing go unchecked, punishing the father’s fault in the sons and in the grandsons to the third and fourth generation.” Indeed, once again, God showed to Moses His identity as a God of compassion and yet a God of justice. God is true to His being and essence. As God He is always rich in compassion and mercy. But as God, He is also just. Therefore, whilst the Lord forgives the people of their sins, they would still have to face the consequences of their sins which they have brought upon themselves.
This is what the gospel is also warning us. Whilst God is patient with our sins, just as with the darnel growing with the wheat, God desires us to repent as long as we have the time. St Peter exhorts us, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire.” (2 Pt 3:9f) But judgment is inevitable and it will come. “Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!”
It is significant that God will destroy evil on the last day so that the good would remain. Instead of harvesting the wheat, He will take away the darnel, leaving the wheat behind. In other words, evil will ultimately be overcome by goodness. This is why we must continue to do good. St Paul warned us, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. Let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” (Gal 6:7-10)
Like Moses, we must continue to ask God to journey with us so that we will not give up hope in our trials and even when we sin against Him. Moses bowed down to the ground at once and worshipped. “If I have indeed won your favour, Lord,’ he said ‘let my Lord come with us. I beg. True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.” Moses was fully aware that unless God walked with them, they would not make it to the Promised Land. So too we must ask the Lord to stay with us for it is dark, as it was with the disciples at Emmaus. (Lk 24:29) So like Moses, we must stay “with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, eating and drinking nothing” meditating on the Words of the Covenant, the Word of God so that we can abide in Him and He in us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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