Nineteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

The LORD then said to him, "This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over." So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab, but to this day no one knows the place of his burial. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab, till they had completed the period of grief and mourning for Moses.

In this scene, God gives Moses a glimpse of the Promised Land. He shows Moses what lies ahead for the Israelites, but because of Moses’ sin, he makes clear once again that Moses shall not cross over before his death. This might seem very harsh to many of us, but God’s punishment is just. Moses did anger God with his lack of trust in Him when he struck the rock at Meribah twice out of anger with the people of Israel. He let his own emotions override his ability to show others God’s holiness. As God’s representative, he needed to keep his feelings out of the message God wanted to send, but he let them interfere. Sometimes we do the same, we let our emotions and passions lead us astray. We fail to be good representative of God’s holiness to others when we let our negative emotions get in the way of doing God’s Will.

What emotions are getting in the way of our ability to be good and faithful servants to God? How can we rid ourselves of these destructive emotions? What can we do to make sure we are reflecting God’s holiness to all the world?

O Lord, give us the strength we need to avoid letting our emotions override our ability to show your love and mercy to the world.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Whereas Moses raised the serpent in the desert in order to heal those bitten by the serpents in the desert, Jesus healed us of the spiritual poison of sin through the sacrifice of his passion, death, and resurrection. He is raised up before us on the cross for all to see and be saved. All we have to do to have eternal life is turn away from worldly things and gaze up to him with adoring eyes. He is our symbol of faith, hope, and love. He is the sign of God's Love, Mercy, and Grace. He is the paragon of a life lived in knowing, loving, and serving others.

When we suffer physical or spiritual trials do we look up to our Lord and Savior? When we look at the cross what truths do we see there? How are we signs of God's everlasting life for others?

O Lord, you were lifted up on the cross for our sake, let us look upon you and believe.

Amen.