STANDING FOR GOD

 

TUESDAY, EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME  

Num 12:1-13; Ps 51:3-7,12-13; Mt 14:22-36

The Steward and the Son

The readings today lead us to consider Moses, a faithful steward in the house of God, and the Son of Man, who is the Son of God made man for our salvation. The consideration would lead us to a better understanding of the sacramental nature of creatures obeying the word of God. We noted yesterday that everything has a sacramental aspect in its existence and operation, which points a man of faith towards God. The function is richer in any man who listens and obeys the word of God. The important role played by Moses in the life of the Israelites is based on this sacramental understanding. By listening and obeying the word of God, Moses became the mouthpiece of God before his people. He became a Sacrament of God’s presence with his people, for he conformed his life to the word God communicated to him. His communion with God produced a visible radiance of the glory of God coming from his face whenever he came from meeting with Yahweh. Because the word of God found a dwelling place in his heart, he became the embodiment of God’s will and power. Thus, the people related to Moses as they would relate to Yahweh. Recall God’s word to him at his vision of the burning bush, that he would make him a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron would be his prophet or spokesman. Moses stood for God.

We have a background for understanding the gravity of the sin of Aaron and Miriam. They spoke against Moses, and by so doing, offended God gravely, for they spoke against one who stands for God. “Miriam and Aaron, too, spoke against Moses in connexion with the Cushite woman he had taken. For he had married a Cushite woman. They said, ‘Has the Lord spoken to Moses only? Has he not spoken to us too?’” By this, they meant to compare themselves to Moses and claim equal authority with him. Yahweh had to make it clear to them that Moses’ authority and the role he plays are quite different from theirs, based on his faith, familiarity, and receptivity to his word. These gave him a special position among God’s people. “Listen now to my words: If any man among you is a prophet, I make myself known to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses: he is at home in my house; I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles, and he sees the form of the Lord. How then have you dared to speak against my servant Moses?” Moses' receptivity to the word of God matches his profound humility, which is a virtue that conditions a soul to accommodate God. Aaron and Miriam compared themselves to Moses and infected themselves with pride, which diminished their communion with God. The leprosy that covered Miriam was an indication of the gravity of their sin. Aaron was spared because of his anointing as high priest.

The sacramental role that Moses played well for the people of Israel finds its fullness or completion in the Son of Man. He fed the five thousand people who followed him throughout the day, with five loaves and two fish, and walked on the lake to strengthen his apostles’ faith. “In the fourth watch of the night, he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’” The Son of Man has the authority of God on earth because he is the Sacrament of the Eternal Word. His total submission to the will of the Father makes him the Sacrament of the Father also. By faith and deep humility, we must receive our vocation to communion with him, as Moses did. Peter’s little faith enabled him to walk on the stormy lake when he focused on Jesus Christ. He started sinking when he removed his attention from him. “Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink.” We must believe and give our undivided attention to the word of God as Moses did, that our faces and lives may radiate the glory of God.

Let us pray:  Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.