Breaking the Word

4^th week in Lent, Thursday – 14^th March 2024 – Exodus 32,7-14; John 5,31-47

Moses as Defender and Accuser

Today’s first reading presents Moses pleading with God on behalf of the people, asking God to forgive their sins and relent punishing them. Moses is conscious of the promises that God had made and invokes those promises so that the people might be spared from the wrath of God. Moses was not only considered the one who led the people from slavery, but also the one who defended the people when God wanted to punish them for their infidelity. Moses was also the presenter of the Law. In the Gospel, Jesus also speaks about Moses, who doesn’t speak on behalf of the unfaithful, but condemns those who don’t believe in Jesus. Thus, in today’s reading, Moses is both defender and accuser. In Exodus, the people didn’t have the time to develop a clear understanding of their relationship with God. They have just been set free from slavery. They have not heard all the teachings of Moses. They want to worship God by creating an image and statue of God, like other enslavers who had made images and statues of their gods. Instead of establishing relationship with God, they chose to create the images of God. On behalf of people’s ignorance, Moses acts as defender. However, in the Gospel, the Israelites had known God and His Word as given by Moses, and what was spoken through the prophets. Yet, they fail to be open to the revelation of God’s presence. They did not accept Jesus as God’s Messiah. Here, on behalf of their hardness of God, Moses is pointed out as the accuser.

4^th week in Lent, Wednesday – 13^th March 2024 – Isaiah 49,8-15; Jn 5,17-30

God’s Intense Love

In the first reading, Isaiah is speaking to those in exile. As they experience the darkest day of their lives in hardship and bitterness, the prophet reassures them with God’s Word. He declares to them that better times are ahead. He was comforting them with the hope that God would restore them to the promised land and would take care of them, nourish them and lead them back on their journey home. The prophet says, “At the time of my favour I have answered you.” It is a reference probably to the year of Jubilee, wherein the return will bring about the same restoration of land for the people as the celebration of jubilee did in earlier times. In fact, the exile was a result of the people’s unfaithfulness, but God was not going to hold that against them forever. The people of Zion had taught, “Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.” But they are utterly wrong. God does not forget his people. He is full of tenderness and compassion. God will care for the chosen people more than a loving mother cares for the child of her womb. One thing is needed, we must turn to God and seek His divine will, then God will be there with his unchanging intensity of love to sustain and lead his people forward.