Word to the Wise
Monday, July 19, 2021 - Monday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 14:5-18 and Matt 12:38-42]Pharaoh was already near when the children of Israel looked up and sw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they fried out to the Lord. And they complained to Moses, "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert" Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypts,when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians'? Far better for us to be slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert." But Moses answered the people, "Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the Lord will win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The Lord himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still." [Exodus]
For excitement and drama, it's hard to beat the story of the escape of the children of Israel from the Egyptians through the waters of the Red Sea! No matter how various investigators have tried to explain how the sea was divided, etc. etc., the story takes on a life of its own. Anyone who has ever seen THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, directed by the great Cecil B. DeMille, can tell you the excitement that his re-enactment creates. It is this deliverance that is celebrated by Jews at Passover and by us Catholics in Holy Week, both on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday.
But it is only the beginning of a long journey to the Promised Land. The complaints of the children of Israel are just beginning to multiply. I have great sympathy for Moses since I have had to exercise leadership in my pastoral ministry as well as in internal ministry as a religious superior in several of our Dominican communities. Nothing important is ever achieved without inconvenience or even suffering. Certainly part of leadership is suffering the whining and complaints of the constituency!
As we move through Exodus and the journey through the desert with all the complaints and wonders, Moses' dialogues with God show us the classic example of the man caught in the middle. It could challenge all of us to ask ourselves if we have been in either position - leader or follower? If so, how did we handle the role? We only have to look at our local church! AMEN