Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 392

Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
has appeared to me and said:
I am concerned about you...

We can easily imagine that some of the Hebrews in Egypt were not thrilled to hear that God was "concerned" about them. Some must have wondered, "What is that about? Who is this god you're talking about? Yes, I heard my grandmother speak of him but that's a long time ago, and she didn't know half of what I know about how the world works." 

The Book of Exodus recalls the reaction of some of the Hebrews after Moses' first visit with the Pharaoh, 

“The LORD look upon you and judge! You have made us offensive to Pharaoh and his servants, putting a sword into their hands to kill us.”

Even after the Pharaoh and his army were destroyed in the Red Sea and the former slaves were free to journey to the Promised Land they grumbled when they wearied of the monotonous diet,

“If only we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our kettles of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have led us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of famine!” 

Under stress, they preferred the predictable life of drudgery to the uncertainty of freedom. Unlike animals in a zoo who seem content with security, humans need security and freedom. But they are polar opposites. This is the paradox of our existence. Our earthly nature wants security, our divine nature craves freedom.  

Religion is often about reassurance, as in today's gospel, 

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." 

Religion, by its very nature, is conservative and reassuring; and our Judaeo-Christian tradition is no different. It must always remember and be guided by ancient memories of the patriarchs, apostles, martyrs, and saints. 

And yet Abraham's faith, which is received from the only God, is also adventurous because life never stays the same very long. We live on a dynamic planet; it is eternally in flux with continental drift, climate change, and human migration. The world has never seen as many migrations as are happening now. The tropical zones are becoming unbearably hot and billions must migrate to the temperate zones of North America, Europe, and Asia. Neither laws, walls, nor weapons will resist their coming as arid deserts consume arable land and coastal cities sink beneath rising tides. 

The Bible knows unpredictability and urges us to turn to One who knows the future, One who sees beyond our horizons. His heavenly throne is higher than the mast of a ship, a tower in Babel, or a GPS satellite. Our God is concerned for his people. 

And the same LORD commands us through the Bible, 

For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing. So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)

Is this plan which offers both freedom and security realistic? 

Remember the days of old,

consider the years of generations past.

Ask your father, he will inform you,

your elders, they will tell you. 

(Deuteronomy 32?7)