By Beth DeCristofaro
But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, “Why, O
LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out
of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? …
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by
your own self, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars
in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as
their perpetual heritage.’“ So the LORD relented in the punishment he had
threatened to inflict on his people. (Exodus
32: 11, 13-14)
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the
one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you
had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But
if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:45-47)
Piety
May God lead us along
the path that leads to boundless joy through Christ who shares life with
us. Amen. (“Give us this Day: Daily
Prayer for Today’s Catholic” March 2016, p. 81)
Study
The Scribes and
Pharisees challenging Jesus would certainly know the stories and lessons in
Exodus well. They must have reeled back,
aghast, when Jesus declared Moses would testify against them. Moses, their ancestor in faith and rescuer of
their people, saved the fickle Israelites again and again by standing up to God
and holding up God’s covenant to His divine face in their defense. Jesus tells the leaders that they are not to
be defended in the hardness of their hearts.
How can I guard
against my heart slowly calcifying under boredom, neglect, complacency, false
piety? Fr. Joe, who inspired so many of
us with his compassion and wise sayings, gave me words to ponder and I am
grateful. Fr. Joe reminded our 119th
Women’s team in 2004 that friendship needs equality to flourish. But how can we possibly find equality with
Jesus? He reminded us that God gave us
equality by giving us His Son, Jesus.
Jesus is one of us and as one of us we are graced to hold within us a
divine indwelling of Christ. Should we
accept and nourish this friendship we radiate that divine indwelling to the
world. It is against this grace, Jesus
tells the temple leaders, that they hardened their hearts.
Action
Cursillo’s Piety, Study and
Action tripod are practices to help us be more open to and channels for the
divine presence but neither the Temple practices of Jesus’ time nor of ours
trumps us continually opening and giving away our hearts and wills to
Jesus. As Fr. Joe asked us then to
honestly consider: “God’s friendship is
an obstacle to my (what?) which I
refuse to renounce?” And “In what ways
do I obstruct God’s friendship?”
May you Rest in the peace of
the Lord and pray for us until the Kingdom comes, Fr. Joe McCloskey.
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