Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Secrets Revealed
We do not like secrets to be kept from us. We itch to know. And so do Moses and the Israelite people. (1) What does God look like? (2) Is God with us? (3) What kind of a god is the LORD?

(1) The people are banned from going up the mountain to see God; only Moses and his assistant Joshua can go up. The people want a leader, so they have Aaron, the priest, make an image of God (the golden calf), which they can see and put their faith in. Now, we know, they say. It is no longer a secret. God looks like this, right? (see Ex. 32:4b) Well, not exactly. When Moses comes down from the mountain, Aaron and the people suffer the consequences for making such an image (see Ex. 32:20).

(2) At another time, Moses is in the meeting tent with God outside the camp. Moses entreats the LORD to go along with him and the people to the Promised Land, in spite of the people’s sins. The LORD responds graciously and promises to go with them (see Ex. 33:14, 17). Eventually, Moses receives from God the plans and designs for building the Ark of the Covenant, which becomes a sign of God’s presence among them (see Ex. 37). Now, they can see that God is with them.

(3) But what kind of a god is He? When Moses is again up on the mountain, the LORD comes down in a cloud and proclaims the kind of god He is: “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity…” (Ex. 34:6). This poetic description of God is repeated in the Book of Numbers (14:18), the Psalms (103:8), and the Prophets (Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). God wants to reveal Who He is, to the extent that they can understand.

When the appointed time had come, God sent His Son into the world, who is the image of the invisible God (see Eph. 1:15); whose name is Emmanuel, which means “God is with us” (see Mt. 1:23); and who is compassionate (see Mt. 9:36), loving (see Jn. 15:13) and forgiving (see Lk. 23:34). Jesus reveals the secrets of God, just as he explains today’s parable to his disciples. “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Mt. 13:43b)

Reflection:
What would you like to know about God? For sure, search the Sacred Scriptures, which are part of His revelation, but be sure to search for Him also in your heart.

Reflection by Br. Luke Kral, OSB