The
gospel passage today tells us that God desires mercy and not
sacrifice. This he is applying to observance of external rules over the true
affairs of justice and compassion. Satisfying human hunger goes beyond the
arbitrary definition of “work.” While the Sabbath is most assuredly supposed to
be the “Lord’s Day” – the Lord would meet the basic needs of his people on that
day – even though it would appear that they are doing something contrary to
“the law.”
In the first reading we see
the heart of the matter – the very act of God’s justice, compassion and mercy
that set it all in motion: the magnificent act of deliverance – long-awaited by
his enslaved people. The act that will begin the mass exodus from Egypt takes
place with the sparing of God’s people whose lives are spared when the angel of
death “passes over” their houses signified with the blood of a lamb – this
prefiguring the great Passover from sin to forgiveness to be wrought by the
death of Christ on the Cross for us!
There was no doubt that this
was the day chosen by God to be ready to do whatever he suggested to bring
about freedom and life: just as today is chosen by God to give us the same
benefits of freedom and life. This Mass is our Passover, and now we live in a
new dispensation of the law of Love. May we live and love, and truly experience
the Presence of Joy, Hope and Peace: the Presence of God!
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment