Word to the Wise
Saturday, July 18, 2015 - Saturday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 12:37-42 and Matt 12:14-21]Since the dough they had brought out of Egypt was not leavened, they baked it into unleavened loaves. They had rushed out of Egypt and nad no opportunity even to prepare food for the journey. [Exodus]
The link between the Exodus experience and the Eucharist is supplemented in the Latin Rite of the church (that's the one most of the Beloved Congregation belongs to) by the use of unleavened bread. Unfortunately the development of mass produced "hosts" has resulted in the loss of the image of bread as we ordinarily understand it. Nevertheless the unleavened feature is linked to the urgency of the event. There was no time to allow for yeast to rise. It was time to get out of Egypt before Pharaoh changed his mind! (He would, anyhow, as we shall see.)
Nowadays, the urgency connected with the Eucharist generally means getting out before the traffic jam in the parking lot! If we experience the story at all, it will be during Holy Week on Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday. Yet it is available to us with each celebration of the Eucharist in the small detail of the unleavened bread that becomes the new deliverance, Jesus Christ. It may be only a small (but important) part of our day, but it is also a great moment in our participation of God's time and salvation. We have to expand our understanding. I'm put in mind of Elizabeth Browning's lines, "Earth's crammed with God and every common bush is aflame! But only he who sees removes his shoes." The Eucharist offers us so much but we leave a lot on the table to get out of the parking lot! AMEN
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