Breaking the Word

17^th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 1^st August 2023  — Gospel: Mt 13,36-43

The righteous shine like the Light

The parable focuses on the final judgement: the judgement of God ‘at the end of the age’. This judgement transcends all boundaries of space and time. Harvest-time is a frequent image for the last judgement in both the OT and the NT. The image of fire is used for the punishment of sin (Mt 3,10.12; 5,22; 7,19), which denotes suffering in ‘the age to come’ (12,32). The terrible finality of God’s judgement highlights that only the truth matters. If the present truth is that we are caught up in sin, and we admit it and seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness, he will heal us. If we stubbornly refuse to acknowledge our sin, all we can expect is to continue living a life now and to end up destroying our lives. In both we are called to repentance while there is still time. All evildoers, including Jesus disciples, will suffer the same fate as unbelieving Israel. While the true disciples, designated as “the righteous” will share the divine glory, and will be transformed into beings of light (Dan 12,3). The allegorical interpretation seems to shift the parable’s center of gravity from the need for patient and tolerance with the weeds to the fearful judgement to come.

17^th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 31^st July 2023 – Exodus 32,15-24. 30-34; Mt 13,31-35

Great Mediator

In the first reading, while Moses is on the mountain of the Lord experiencing the revelation of God, the Israelites under the leadership of Aaron form a golden calf to represent God. When Moses and Joshua descended, they saw the people worshipping the golden calf. Moses, in anger, throws down the tablets of stone on which God had written the commandments. Moses was angry (32,19.22), but it was anger tempered by love. The breaking of the stone tablets was a symbolic act: Israelites had broken the covenant and would have to face discipline. But before he dealt with the people, Moses confronted Aaron, for the privilege of leadership brings with it both responsibility and accountability. Aaron very bluntly passed on the responsibility to the people that they were prone to evil. Moses then destroyed the shameful golden calf by burning it and grinding the gold to powder. After angrily denouncing the people’s sin and Aaron’s disregard for God’s commands, Moses promises to go back up the mountain and plead for mercy from the God who has been transgressed. He once again acts as a great mediator on behalf of his people.