THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
Readings
Ex 3:1-8, 13-15
1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
Lk l3: l-9
Theme:
The Call and Complacency
On the occasion of Moses’ call to liberate his people from bondage, God also chose to reveal his name. This is one of the great moments of the Hebrew Scriptures. But Election is not synonymous with salvation, as Paul today reminds the Corinthians. Election calls for a continuing response, an ongoing conversion. In Luke's gospel, Jesus reminds us that there is a day of reckoning for all. We should learn from misfortunes that occur rather than feel that we are immune. Now is the time to bear fruit. Every day is a gift and a moment of growth.
First Reading
Moses has fled Egypt and has settled and married among the Midianites (2:15 - 22). It is while pasturing his sheep that he receives the call to free his people. Angel of the Lord (v2a): a designation used interchangeably with an appearance of the Lord himself. Since Yahweh here is the partner to the conversation, the expression is best understood as an appearance of the deity. Fire is the sign of God's presence; the bush is seneh in Hebrew, a probable play on the word Sinai.
The passage is largely derived from the Elohist (E) tradition. Horeb is the customary name for Sinai in the E tradition. The geographical identification here links two major events: the Sinai covenant and the mission of Moses. Moses approaches and removes his shoes, a customary sign of respect for sacred space.
Yahweh first identifies himself with the God of the patriarchs, establishing an important continuity between past and present. The Egyptian interlude notwithstanding, the God of the patriarchs is still present (v6). Moses’ initial fear is understandable; to see God and live is not possible (Ex 33:20; Gen 32:31). Yahweh further identifies himself as the God who directly intervenes ("I have come down") on behalf of his people (v8). He intends to take them from oppression to a land of plenty (“milk and honey," a proverbial expression for agricultural abundance – 13:5; Num 13:27).
The protest of Moses’ inability for the task is met by the assurance of Yahweh’s accompanying presence (vv11f). Moses then request to know the name of the deity (vvl3f). It should be noted that in antiquity knowledge of the name implied some control over the person; the giving of a name often fixed the person’s destiny (Gen 17:5). God's response is his third and final identification in the narrative. I am who am (vl4): or “I am who I am” or "I am who I shall be." This is intended as a proper name, as is clearly indicated at the end of the verse: “I am sent me to you.” The name is enigmatic and there is no clear consensus on its meaning. It is intended as an explanation of Yahweh’s name, already known much earlier in the Yahwist tradition (Gen 4:26). Here the name is receiving a descriptive definition. It is related to the verb "to be," perhaps in the sense of an effective and dynamic presence of God, a God who actually is and will be, one whose existence has been and will be experienced.
In the closing verse of Moses’ commission (vl5), Yahweh is linked again with the patriarchal tradition. The sacredness of the revealed name is underscored. In fact, "Yahweh" was not pronounced by the Hebrews, even in cult, Adonai (Lord) being substituted.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 103
This thanksgiving psalm recounts God's goodness to Moses and the Israelites (v7). The psalmist has been delivered from grave misfortune, perhaps an illness (v4). Sickness is closely linked with personal wrongdoing in Hebrew thought (v3). God’s “benefits” (v2) are not only personal; they extend to the nation as well, especially evident in the events of the exodus. His covenant-centered attributes have been experienced: mercy, forbearance, and forgiveness (v8), but above all his love (Heb: hesed) (v11).
To make his point on the danger of over-confidence, Paul sets forth a typology between events of the exodus and the Christian experience. The presence of the cloud and the sea (Ex 13:21; 14:19 - 22) foreshadow baptism (v1). Baptized into Moses (v2): a free theological adaptation suggested by baptism into Christ. The "spiritual" nourishment, manna (Ex 16) and the water from the rock (Ex 17:1 - 7), is related to the Eucharist. The rock was Christ (v4): The typology is made explicit, even if somewhat forced. As baptism was projected back to Moses in v2, so the desert rock is directly related to Christ. Yahweh was the rock of his people (Deut 32:4). Rabbinic literature has the water from the rock follow the Israelites through the desert. All of this is seen as symbolic of Christ's continued presence with his elect.
Yahweh’s displeasure with his rebellious people and their subsequent demise (Num 14:26 - 38) is to be a warning to the Christians (vv10ff). The Israelites were favored no less than the Christian elect, yet they were not spared God's punishment. The Corinthians are not to see themselves so assured of salvation as to have nothing to fear. The destroyer (v10): the reference is to an angel of death (Ex 12:23; Wisdom 18:25), with Yahweh thus spared direct intervention in human catastrophe.
All of these biblical events happened for the benefit of the Christian community, which is now living in the final age (v11). This is the moment toward which all former generations pointed. No one should presume on his or her ability to withstand the present danger. The examples of the past amply illustrate how even the most favored succumbed to the forces of evil.
Third Reading
Luke deals with a not uncommon problem in the early Christian community: a sense of complacency in view of the delay in the Lord's return. It is not unlike the situation in Corinth, which Paul addresses in the second reading. In the preceding chapter (Lk 12), Jesus has emphasized the need for alertness and repentance.
One way to escape self-examination is to stand apart from the plight of others with an attitude of "This couldn’t happen to me.” There is no extra-biblical testimony to Pilate’s barbaric act (v1) or to the tower's collapse at Siloam (v4). The traditional Hebrew understanding of the direct relationship between one’s sin and subsequent disaster, although much questioned, was still in possession in many quarters in Jesus' time. Jesus bypasses any consideration of this just retribution theory and reminds his hearers that there is a lesson in tragedy for everyone (vv3, 5). Before God there is no exception of persons. The only lesson to be learned is one of alertness and repentance.
The story of the fig tree (vv6 - 9) could have been used to point out God’s patience and forbearance in dealing with human failure. In its present context, however, it is a warning. At a given moment, if conversion does not take place, time will run out. There is a recurring Lucan theme (12:16-21; 17:20-31).
Beginnings are wonderful
moments, filled with enthusiasm, the excitement of novelty, new horizons. But
there is nothing in life that does not lose its initial glow. The new soon
becomes a customary part of life; it can even become dismally normal. We then
look forward to the next moment of exhilaration. With faith, however, it should
be different. In fact, prayer and meditation are geared to make a faith an
ongoing challenge.
The call of Moses was a high
point in his life as well as in that of his people. He was sent by God and
assured of continued guidance. But in time even he had to bear the
bitter burden of ingratitude and rebellion. He had his own moments of doubt and
anger and was not permitted to enter the land of promise.
All of us can settle
into that sense of security, which prevailed at Corinth. Today we hear much of
God's love and mercy. And for that we can be grateful. But there is another
side of the coin. God is not as tolerant as we sometimes think of him. Or, as
Paul says, God is not mocked. Complacency can easily leas to a loss of control,
indifference and backsliding. When we learn that someone has a dreaded illness or
that some disaster has occurred, after our initial shock we tend to distance
ourselves from the reality. But today's scripture teaches us to internalize
whatever occurs. Let it become an occasion for deeper repentance and
conversion. Each day we pray for perseverance. The greatest saint can look at a
condemned criminal and say: “There but for the grace of God go I."
Homiletics and Catechetical Helps
1. The meaning of vocation.
2. The name of God: its meaning.
3. Reverence for God's name.
4. The grace of perseverance.
5. Understanding ongoing conversion.
6. The danger of complacency.
7. Cite contemporary events, which have taught a moral 1
8. In what areas of my life is reform most needed?