Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
[Numbers 21:4-9 and John 8:21-30]You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.
Today's scripture begins with a passage from the Book of Numbers in which the children of Israel complain against God and Moses about the journey and the food! (A wise old Dominican who had been a local prior several times once told me that if there was nothing else to complain about, the brothers would complain about the food!). Behind all this is the compelling revelation of God's self to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3). It is this revelation that keeps Moses going, because he is often caught between God and the Chosen People! Jesus warns the Pharisees that if they do not accept the truth that he is the one revealed to Moses in the burning bush, they will die in their sins! The Chosen People in the desert often wavered in their faith according to how difficult the journey became. In both cases - Pharisees and the Israelites in the desert - faith in God's revelation is the starting point for everything. If the starting point is rejected, everything that follows from it is rejected. Recognizing what is true is the bedrock principle of faith. AMEN