Word to the Wise
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
[Exodus 2:1-15A and Matthew 11:20-24]Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?
Many biblical heroes come to be heroes only after rather "checkered" lives! Moses is no exception. The reason he wound up being a shepherd for his father-in-law was that he (Moses) was a fugitive from justice! He had killed an Egyptian! He fled to a region called Midian. It is there, as we will see in Wednesday's first scripture, that he has the important encounter with the Burning Bush! The old saying is that "God writes straight with crooked lines!" The genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is filled with people of dubious reputation! Yet God has chosen folks like this from time immemorial to play important roles in the drama of salvation! Jesus' choice of his closest collaborators, the apostles, included the one who would betray him! The question quoted above turns out to be ironic! Moses would eventually be exactly the ruler and judge of the Chosen People and it would be God who appoints him! No elections, no background checks, no hearings! On the other hand, Moses could not ever resign the post, no matter how bad the Chosen People became - and they got very bad from time to time. On those rare occasions when my Dominican brothers have called me to a position of authority or leadership, I have said more than one prayer to "St. Moses" that I would have the wisdom to make good decisions. I would suggest to anyone in charge of any organization that they read the story of Moses' life and realize that he makes a very good patron saint. AMEN
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