Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 7-17-03

Reading I
Ex 3:13-20

Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him,
"When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,
‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'
if they ask me, ‘What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am."
Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
I AM sent me to you."

God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.

"This is my name forever;
this my title for all generations.

"Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
has appeared to me and said:
I am concerned about you
and about the way you are being treated in Egypt;
so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,
a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Thus they will heed your message.
Then you and the elders of Israel
shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him:
"The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word.
Permit us, then, to go a three-days' journey in the desert,
that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God.

"Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go
unless he is forced.
I will stretch out my hand, therefore,
and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.
After that he will send you away."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

R (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations–
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
He greatly increased his people
and made them stronger than their foes,
Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,
and dealt deceitfully with his servants.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
He sent Moses his servant;
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

From: Exodus 3:13-20

The Divine Name is Revealed

[3] Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to
them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What
is his name?' what shall I say to them?" [4] God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I
AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to
you.'" [5] God said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The Lord,
the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of
Jacob, has sent me to you': this is my name forever and thus I am to be
remembered throughout all generations.

The Mission of Moses

[16] Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The Lord
the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has
appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what has been done to you
in Egypt; [17] and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction
of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and
honey." [18] And they will hearken to your voice; and you and the elders of
Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of
the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, we pray you, let us go a three days'
joumey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' [19]
I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a
mighty hand. [20] So I will stretch my hand and smite Egypt with all the
wonders which I will do it; after that he will let you go."

Commentary:

3:13-15. Moses now raises another difficulty: he does not know the name of
the God who is commissioning him. This gives rise to the revelation of the
name "Yahweh" and the explanation of what it means--"I am who I am".

According to the tradition recorded in Genesis 4:26, a grandson of Adam,
Enosh, was the first to call upon the name of the Lord (Yahweh). Thus, the
biblical text is stating that a part of mankind knew the true God, whose
name was revealed to Moses in this solemn way (Ex 35:15 and 6:2). The
patriarchs invoked God under other names, to do with the divine attributes,
such as the Almighty ("El-Shaddai": Gen 17:1; Ex 6:2-3). Other proper names
of God which appear in very ancient documents lead one to think that the
name Yahweh had been known from along time back. The revelation of the
divine name is important in salvation history because by that name God will
be invoked over the course of the centuries.

All kinds of suggestions have been put forward as to the meaning of Yahweh;
not all are mutually exclusive. Here are some of the main ones: a) God is
giving an evasive answer here because he does not want those in ancient times,
contaminated as they were by magic rites, to think that because they knew
name they would have power over the god. According to this theory, "I am who
I am" would be equivalent to "I am whom you cannot know". "I am unnameable".
This solution stresses the transcendence of God. b) What God is revealing is
his nature--that he is subsistent being; in which case "I am who I am means
I am he who exists "per sibi", absolute be-ing. The divine name refers to
what he is by essence; it refers to him whose essence it is to be. God is
saying that he "is", and he is giving the name by which he is to be called.
This explanation is often to be found in Christian interpretation. c) On the
basis of the fact Yahweh is a causative form of the ancient Hebrew verb
"hwh" (to be), God revealing himself as "he who causes to be", the creator,
not so much in the fullest sense of the word (as creator of the universe) but
above all the creator of the present situation--the one who gives the people
its being and who always stays with it. Thus, calling upon Yahweh will
always remind the good Israelite of his reason-for-being, as an individual
and as a member of a chosen people.

None of these explanations is entirely satisfactory. "This divine name is
mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name revealed and
something like the refusal of a name, and hence it better expresses God as
what he is--infinitely above everything that we can understand or say: he is
the 'hidden God' (Is 45:15), his name is ineffable, and he is the God who
makes himself close to men (cf. Judg 1.3:18)" ("Catechism of the Catholic
Church", 206).

At a later time, around the 4th century BC, out of reverence for the name of
Yahweh the use of the word was avoided; when it occurred in the sacred text
it was read as "Adonai", my Lord. In the Greek version it is translated as
"Kyrios" and in the Latin as "Dominus". "It is under this title that the
divinity of Jesus will be acclaimed: 'Jesus is Lord'" (ibid., 209). The RSV
always renders "Yahweh" as "the Lord". The medieval form Jehovah was the
result of a misreading of the Hebrew text into which vowels were inserted by
the Massoretes; it is simply a mistake and there is no justification for the
use of "Jehovah" nowadays (cf. ibid., 446).

3:16-22. The Lord comes back again to the subject of Moses' mission; despite
all the obstacles, it will be a success. "The elders of Israel" (v. 16),
that is, the chiefs of clans, representing the whole community, will be
happy to hear what Moses has to say. The words "I have observed you" (v. 16:
literally, "I. have carried out an inspection among you") are significant
because they indicate the key thing--God's is a friendly presence; but it is
also a demanding presence which expects an account of the use we made of
gifts received (cf. 32:34; Jer 9:24; Hos 4:14). The three days' journey (v.
18) would not take them to Sinai but it was enough to get them away from
Egypt. Later, three days will become a number symbolizing divine action. See
the note on 6:10-13.

The pharaoh, unlike the elders, will refuse to let the people go-making it
clearer that the Israelites will attain their freedom only if God comes to
their rescue.

The "despoiling" of the Egyptians (v. 22) is by way of compensation for the
years they have spent with nothing to show for it (cf. Gen 15:14; Wis 10:17)
and also as a sort of booty of war (cf. Ex 11:2-3; 12:35-36): God comes out
the victor in the struggle against the pharaoh, and he gives the sons of
Israel a share in the booty. It may also be meant to signal festive joy: the
Israelites are to dress up to celebrate the victory God has given them.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus Thanks His Father (Continuation)

(At that time Jesus declared,) [28] "Come to Me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take My yoke upon you, and
learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. [30] For My yoke is easy, and My burden is
light."

Commentary:

28-30. Our Lord calls everyone to come to Him. We all find things
difficult in one way or another. The history of souls bears out the
truth of these words of Jesus. Only the Gospel can fully satisfy the
thirst for truth and justice which sincere people feel. Only our Lord,
our Master--and those to whom He passes on His power--can soothe the
sinner by telling him, "Your sins are forgiven" (Matthew 9:2). In this
connection Pope Paul VI teaches: "Jesus says now and always, `Come to
Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' His
attitude towards us is one of invitation, knowledge and compassion;
indeed, it is one of offering, promise, friendship, goodness, remedy of
our ailments; He is our comforter; indeed, our nourishment, our bread,
giving us energy and life" ("Homily on Corpus Christi", 13 June 1974).

"Come to Me": the Master is addressing the crowds who are following
Him, "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew
9:36). The Pharisees weighed them down with an endless series of petty
regulations (cf. Acts 15:10), yet they brought no peace to their
souls. Jesus tells these people, and us, about the kind of burden He
imposes: "Any other burden oppresses and crushes you, but Christ's
actually takes weight off you. Any other burden weighs down, but
Christ's gives you wings. If you take a bird's wings away, you might
seem to be taking weight off it, but the more weight you take off, the
more you tie it down to the earth. There it is on the ground, and you
wanted to relieve it of a weight; give it back the weight of its wings
and you will see how it flies" (St. Augustine, "Sermon" 126).

"All you who go about tormented, afflicted and burdened with the burden
of your cares and desires, go forth from them, come to Me and I will
refresh you and you shall find for your souls the rest which your
desires take from you" (St. John of the Cross, "Ascent of Mount
Carmel", Book 1, Chapter 7, 4).

The Word Among Us

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Meditation
Matthew 11:28-30

Life’s burdens can seem endless at times. We must provide food and shelter for ourselves and perhaps our families. Family dynamics can bring us tension. And, raising children in a world riddled with violence and immorality can seem overwhelming. Old age and illness can confront us with yet more uncertainty, pain, and expense. Yet in the midst of such challenges, Jesus invites us to take up his cross so that he can give our souls rest (Matthew 11:29).

It may seem odd at first. How can taking on one burden ease all of our other burdens? Because following Jesus, becoming like him, does not mean performing exhaustive lists of do’s and don’ts. It means that we allow him to shine his light into our hearts. It means that we allow his Spirit to give us the strength we need to obey his commandments. It means being humble enough to let Jesus reveal his love to us and to offer us his healing. Encountering such deep, magnificent love can transform us. Situations that are difficult become opportunities for God’s grace to move in us and—through our cooperation with him—through us to others.

Jesus invites everyone who feels weary and burdened, not just the “holy” or those inclined toward religion. Anyone can respond to his invitation because of who God is, not because of who we are. Through Jesus, God has freed us from the burdens of life. With his power and intercession, even when he seems distant, he is ready to help us carry our burdens. Jesus is trustworthy and will faithfully fulfill all his promises to us.

We can rest in God’s presence by quieting our hearts and minds. We can meditate on a Scripture verse or a mystery of Christ. We can reflect on the great gift we receive at the Eucharist. We can seek the heart of Jesus in those around us, seeing in them part of God’s greatness, not just another person with whom we must relate. Let Jesus fill you with his presence. He longs to pour out his love, give gifts of wisdom, grace, healing, and even miracles. You need only give him the opportunity.

“Jesus, in your presence I find rest. Come, Lord, and enlighten my mind and transform my heart. I long for your love and all of the gifts that you want to give me today.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Thursday, July 17, 2003 >>

Exodus 3:11-20

Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27

Matthew 11:28-30

View Readings

THE “REST” OF THE STORY

“Your souls will find rest.” —Matthew 11:29

When life is getting us down, Jesus commands us to come to Him, and He promises to give us rest (Mt 11:28). Jesus is not promising us a good night’s sleep or a nap. For a Jew, “rest” connotes the promised land (see Ps 95:10-11), the symbol of the fulfillment of the Jewish people’s greatest aspirations. Thus, Jesus promises ultimate fulfillment to the weary and burdened.

The Catholic Church has expounded on this in the funeral Mass prayer, “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” Jesus promises us not just “temporary relief” or a “break in the action” but the life of heaven. According to the prayer, “rest” includes “perpetual light,” “the mercy of God,” and “peace.” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus promises to give us eternal life with Him, the beatific vision, heaven, “absolute fullness” (Col 1:19).

Therefore, “while the promise of entrance into His rest still holds” (Heb 4:1), let us come to Jesus and take the yoke of the cross on our shoulders. Let us come into His eternal rest.

Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to teach me the meaning of “rest” and to make me holy.

Promise: “I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt.” —Ex 3:16-17

Praise: Jane spends her Sunday afternoons taking Holy Communion to the homebound.

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