Into the Desert

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.  The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. (Numbers 21: 4-9)

Moses and the Bronze Serpent

This reading recounts the story of our ancestors' pilgrimage through the desert. They were worn out by the long journey under the burning heat of the sun. They grumbled about what God had done for them and were not sure they wanted to trust Him in the days ahead. Once the novelty of eating the bread of angels wore off, they became bored with the manna that God graciously provided them each day. Like our ancestors in the faith, we tend to grow tired of our faith journey. We lose our enthusiasm for the kingdom, and the Gospel no longer fills us with joy. Because of the humdrum of day-to-day living, we no longer have a burning desire to press on to make our own that for which Christ has made us His own. Now is a time of grace for us. Today we are given an opportunity catch a second wind and recommit ourselves to the journey.

Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dali (1951)

During moments of boredom, doubt and even despair, we find ourselves wandering aimlessly in the valley of darkness and death. Here, in the hour of greatest distress, The Lord grants us the grace to call out to Him that He might heal us. Impaled upon the cross, Christ calls to all who are groveling in the dust. He encourages us to lift up our heads and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Christ became the Lamb that died so that we might live as children of Light. Just as the bronze serpent raised up on a staff became an instrument of life for the Hebrews, so too Christ raised up on the cross became the instrument of life for us. When commenting on the bronze serpent, the rabbis observe that it was not the sight of the bronze serpent that cured those who were stricken, but the act of looking up towards the uplifted serpent that opened each individual to the healing power of God.

When  we approach the altar to receive Holy Communion, let us look upon the Lamb Who did not know sin but made Himself to be sin so that we who are sinners might be made holy. Let us humbly acknowledge our sinfulness and open our hearts to receive the gifts God offers us so that we might walk in the Light of Life as Children of God and heirs of the heavenly kingdom. May He who conquered sin and death set us free from our sins and the effects that they have on our lives. When the Lord returns on glory, may He bring us all together into everlasting life.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, come! -- O Antiphon for December 18

O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out  your mighty hand to set us free. (Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary, Evening Prayer of December 18)

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times did give the law

in cloud and majesty and awe. (verse from O Come, Emmanuel for December 18)

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 

Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ 

When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ 

And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 

Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ 

But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ 

He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’

 But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”, and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ 

God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.” ’ God also said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”: This is my name for ever, and this my title for all generations. (Exodus 3: 1-15)

God comes at unexpected times, in unexpected places, breaking into the ordinary comfort of our lives and setting us on a new and unanticipated path. Hasn't this happened to all of us? Is it happening to you now? 

Moses was tending sheep, just like he did every day, day in and day out, when God manifested Himself to Moses, a shepherd, and sent him to teach the Israelites the law of God and to bring them out of the their slavery in Egypt into the land God promised, a land "flowing with milk and honey," where they would be free.

Centuries later, God sent His Son, Who called Himself "the Good Shepherd," to fulfill the law and to redeem all of humanity from its slavery to sin and thus freeing us to follow God in righteousness and to experience the sweet nourishment of God's love. 

Jesus'  coming was anticipated and hoped for, but He, too, came in an unexpected way and in an unexpected place. Many missed Him when He came because they were looking for someone else. Many still miss Him because they are seeking peace and love in all sorts of places but His embrace. 

Is anything shaking up  your world right now? As the burning bush caught Moses attention to so that he would be open to the voice of God, is something happening in your life that has you wondering and asking questions? As Moses drew near the bush for a closer look, might God be beckoning you to look more closely at your situation? Might God's Holy Spirit be breaking into your comfort zone to bring you a message you didn't want to hear and a blessing you had not expected or even thought to request? What is your response? "Oh, no, Lord, not me. Not now. Not this. Don't talk to me, Lord. I don't want to be moved." Or is it, instead, "Come, stretch out Your mighty hand to set us free."   

Come, Lord, stretch our Your mighty hand to set us free. You who manifested Yourself to Moses in a burning bush, Who manifested Yourself to the world in a helpless Infant in a stable, You are manifesting Yourself right now, in this world, in my world. Open my spiritual eyes to see You, Lord, and to look for the freedom you want to bestow on me now. Come, Lord, stretch out Your mighty hand to set us free, and give me the courage to put my hand into Yours. Amen.