July 28, 2009
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
By Beth DeCristofaro
Then (Moses) said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD, do come along in our company.This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.” (Exodus 34:9)
(Jesus said) “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Matthew 13:41-43)
Piety
Thank you, God, Almighty Creator, kind and merciful Father. Your compassion brings me ever back to you. In the grace of your love my stiff neck and heart are softened. In all that I do may I keep in mind justice and the rights of all the oppressed. Guide me to see your mighty works each and every day, rejoicing in them and being inspired from them to serve you and yours. (from Psalm 103)
Study
A stiff necked people? Oh yeah. Sometimes I’ve wondered how the Israelites made it at all to the Promised Land. Yes, there was the intercession and ceaseless effort of Moses to keep his people on God’s good side. But Moses’ words today bring it into clear relief. Hmmm, stiff-necked? Reminds me of kids’ excuses: “I just couldn’t help myself…” “Well I didn’t do it but she/he did” “Mom, everyone was doing it!” Oh, wait, these sound remarkably like excuses we hear in public today from politicians and celebrities. And truth be told, we murmur excuses like these behind closed doors when we think no one hears us. It’s as if we can’t quite grasp how much we are loved and how close God is to us. We seem to shove God away and try to take back be in charge of our universe.
We read story after story in Scripture about the glory of God manifest on earth, for example here in the miracles of Exodus and the incarnation of Jesus. But these recent readings have had a theme of falling away and repentance. God keeps giving us chances. We keep giving excuses.
But the real good news is that God, like a long-suffering but hopeful parent, keeps giving us more chances. Jesus’ explanation of the judgment to come sounds harsh and unforgiving. In fact he is giving his hearers the opportunity to come around, try again to listen, put ourselves into his presence rather than warrent the fiery furnace. Jesus wants us to know that God’s mercy will judge us. Jesus wants us to shine like the sun in love with God.
Action
Are we Americans stiff-necked? Pope Benedict reminds us that society’s economic health is inextricably tied up with respect for human dignity and protection of all life. Spend some time in prayer – what does it mean to respect human dignity and protect all life in terms of the political and sociological choices we make? For example, are we really comfortable knowing how many of our neighbors have little or no health care? Be in touch with your representatives in leadership positions and make your prayerful decisions heard.
