Daily Readings Reflection for 7/30/09

Reflection on the Daily Readings for 7/30/09 by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Scripture: Thurs. of 17th week. Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38. Psalm
84:3.4.5-6.8.11 Matthew 13:47-53. Lectionary # 404:

God is always present to us both in the revelatory message of the Old
Testament and that of the New Testament. We learn how God is always
present to the Israelites when they turn to him in their journey through
the desert. It is their journey of faith toward the Promised Land. A cloud
covered the meeting tent of Moses and the people stood and prayed in wonder
whenever they saw the cloud hovering over the tent. Even at night God's
presence was there in the fire-like column that was within the cloud. This
was not a cloud of unknowing but one in which the visible presence of God
was both a guide and a consolation for them in their travels through the
desert.

Moses, the servant of God, and his chosen prophet, made the tent, then the
Dwelling. It was he who fashioned the ark of the covenant and prepared the
veil that separated the tables of the law. He built the propitiatory upon
which the cherubin hovered in reverence over the divine mercy-seat upon
which God rested. The poles for carrying the ark were also of Moses'
making. We are told that God led them and protected them and gave them
these visible signs of his presence "in all the stages of their journey."

God is with us too in all the stages of our journey of faith toward the
Promised Land, toward the realm of God, that is toward union with God in
heaven. We are not alone as we travel through these stages of our faith
journey. The patriarchs and matriarchs, the prophets and the wisdom
persons have led the way and the "communion of saints" who have gone before
us with the signs of faith have led us onward. Mary of Nazareth is among
them and leads us in her song just as Miriam, the sister of Moses did
during the victory of freedom seen in the Exodus from Egypt. Mary is a
remarkable woman of faith who journeys with us as we move through each of
the stages of our lives.Her personal journey with her son was the longest
ever experienced with Jesus while he was here in the history of our
salvation and she continues to help and guide us as we move on toward the
kingdom. We are all in this together no matter who we are or what our
religion is. All of us have the same origin through God's making us in his
image and likeness and the God who creates also redeems and brings us back
to where we first started, namely, to himself. We could trace other models
of faith by reading all of chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Amen.