RBWords

     The lectionary skips over some dramatic story-telling about the various calamities that happen to Egypt because of Pharaoh's stubborn refusal to allow the Israelites to leave! I am almost tempted to get a copy of Cecil B. DeMille's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS to watch Moses [Charleton Heston] in action!  However, the "sign" that is the subject of today's first scripture is the culminating event - the death of the first born in Egypt and the "passover" of the Israelites.  They are instructed to prepare a final meal and be ready for a journey.  Of course, we know that Pharaoh will change his mind and pursue them to the Red Sea, but that story must await next Monday's reflections.  For the moment I want to call attention to the simple statement quoted above.

     Memorials are part of human social life.  To observe the memorial of an event over a long period of time requires that the particular event be something that is a fundamental part of the identity of a group.  Human memories can be fickle and can fade as the original participants in an event die.  The Passover is just such a fundamental event to both Jew and Christian!  The Seder Meal includes a ritual whereby a young child asks the question:  "Why are we doing this?"  We Catholics memorialize the "passover" in two ways. The first is the celebration of Holy Thursday when we specifically commemorate (remember together) the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist.  Jesus commanded that we continue to celebrate the Lord's Supper " in memory of me."  The second way is in the daily celebration of the Eucharist everyday of the year EXCEPT Good Friday!  [Even on that day, we can "receive communion" but the Eucharist is not celebrated.]

     For devout but sleepy Catholics who "go to Mass" every day, it may be asking too much to recall the events from Exodus or from the Last Supper each time, but the significance of the Eucharist is intimately tied to those events.  Even on Sunday, this context tends to be lost in the variety of scriptures and other liturgical "commemorations."  The reason we celebrate the Eucharist today is not because of St. Bonaventure (as great as he was), it is because the Lord delivered the Chosen People from Egypt and Christ delivered us from our sins.   That is worth remembering always!   AMEN