+ Today we read of God’s patience and his kindness towards
the people that he is trying to form into a people we identified recently as “peculiarly his own.” We must remember
that he knows them perfectly as the injured and wounded people who lost a great
deal of the strength of their human capabilities as a result of the sin of the
first parents; but he is still seen as often times frustrated with this
squirming bunch of ungrateful souls who have very short term memories, who
can’t remember what he does for them, and who just won’t take the time to let
the natural law within them guide them the way it is designed to do.
Moses finds himself in a
leadership position with this on-again-off-again lot of people – because at
least his faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob seems to be strong; in
fact, God likes Moses, in his simplicity and humility, so much that he has
conversations with him on a mountain, and uses him to communicate to this
would-be unified group of faithful family members of God a message of fidelity
and compassion.
In time, Moses is put in a
very precarious position when God tells him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to
let “his people” go! – and to say that “I AM” is the one demanding this: I AM
being God, of course. This Moses does – and we will see what happens with all
that later.
The
second reading today also talks of unification, brought about by
God – this same unification of God’s special people, which resembles very
closely the unification of God’s new family in the Mystical Body of Christ;
Christ the Rock – just as the rock of flowing water followed God’s people in
the desert, so the Rock of Christ’s presence and spiritual graces are always
present to those who ask for them even now.
And so this Lent, we continue
to take heed of the subtle message that you can’t help but notice – perhaps
this is a good time, a very good time to repent as we never have during Lent
because the end of the ages is here
(although it has been coming for a very long time), and may within the not too
distant future will conclude as it is foretold – the gospel tells us that God is kind and patient, and gives even an
unblossoming fig tree chance after chance – but when the time has arrived for
no more chances – there will be no more – and
the barren tree will be cut down. Take care NOW to be sure that that barren
tree is not you – let your life blossom forth with good works spawned from
faith in and love of God – and you will have nothing to fear!
Repent, says the Lord; the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
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