Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
A portion of the gospel from last Sunday is repeated today, particularly so that it is heard in Years B and C when a different gospel is read on the 16th Sunday. See the reflection given for Sunday, July 30.
The first reading today presents the relationship that developed between Moses and God. Moses served as the mediator between the Lord and the Israelites. On more than one occasion he negotiated with God for the life of his chosen people and reminded the Lord of the covenant he made with them. There is an intimacy here that is unknown in all previous encounters with God. The author of Exodus describes the change that has taken place: “As Moses came down from Mount Sinai,… he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with Lord” (Ex 34:29). Aaron and the other Israelites were afraid to come near Moses because of the radiance of his skin. It was for this reason that Moses began to cover his face with a veil.
This passage reminds me of a quotation from Archbishop Mariano Magrassi, OSB in his book Praying the Bible: “To contemplate means to enter into a relationship of faith and love with the God of truth and life, who has revealed his face to us in Christ. That face is revealed on every page of the Bible. All we need to do is look: open ourselves to the light and desire that it shine in us.” Moses prefigured Christ. Just as Moses interceded with God on behalf of the Israelites, so Jesus is mediator between us and the Father. The intimate relationship that Moses had with the Lord foreshadows the bond that Jesus has with his Father. Jesus said to Philip: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9) Archbishop Magrassi’s point is that we, too, can share in that kind of intimate relationship with the Father through our encounter with Christ in the scriptures. When we see Christ in the scriptures, we see the Father. Christ is our way to the Father. Contemplation is not merely to work of religious and priests. It is the call of every Christian to draw closer to the Father through his Son. Let us open our hearts to that divine light and let its radiance shine in our lives.
Reflection by Br. Michael Marcotte, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time