III SUNDAY OF LENT - Exodus 3:1-8,13-15
Referring to the Old Testament, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that everything happened for a purpose and to serve as an example “and it was written down to be a lesson for us” (1 Co 10:11). That is one of the reasons why the Scriptures (the Bible) are appealing to so many people, believers and unbelievers alike since they find in them something valuable for their lives. Reading the Scriptures, we find everything that is human, and they become a mirror in which we see ourselves, being at the same time confronted with ourselves. As we read, we are being questioned and challenged by a voice that speaks underneath the text which we read or underneath the words which we hear. It is the voice of God addressing us and speaking to us personally and calling us forward to a relationship with him. That’s why the Scriptures are considered to be the Word of God, in spite of being so human as well. We may say that the Scriptures share in the mystery of the incarnation, a mystery in which the Son - he is the Word - became a human being. The Scriptures guide us and lead us to recognise God’s salvific presence and action in human history; they prop us in our journey through life, taking us to Christ. The writings of the Old Testament give us the key and open the horizons so that we may recognise Jesus as the Messiah and the Saviour, that is the Lord.
In this third Sunday of Lent, in the first reading, we read about the theophany of God experienced by Moses. With his flock, Moses went to the holy mountain and, there, touched by the divine, some extraordinary thing attracted his attention. As he approached to have a look, he was warned to proceed cautiously. This double feeling of attraction and cautiousness is part of all religious experiences. However, the experience of the divine, which erupted in the life of Moses, acquired a completely new turn, when God revealed himself as a compassionate and loving God, who pays attention to the suffering of his people and is willing to intervene in history so that his people may enjoy freedom and peace. In his manifestation to Moses, God is not something, but SOMEONE who wills to establish a relationship with human beings. God is relational and he is ready to seal his relationship with a covenant, implying that he commits himself to his people in such a way that he will be always attentive to their destiny.
To Moses, God revealed his personal name - the Holy Name of God, which in Hebrew is written with only four letters - YHWH (since the vowels are not written), probably being pronounced Yahweh. Driven by a deep respect for the name of God and fearing to utter it in vain, the Jews ceased to pronounce it, replacing it with Adonai, which means Lord. To Moses God presented himself as a God who relates and who wishes to establish an alliance of friendship with human beings. He has a name - YAHWEH, meaning “I-am-who-I-am”, or simply “I am." This name expresses much more than God’s essence since it implies a presence - the loving presence of someone who always accompanies us. "I am" the One who is always by your side to defend you, protect you and set you free. Yahweh is the name of the saving and liberating God. To carry out his plan of liberation for his people he called Moses and entrusted to him a mission. God goes on calling us and entrusting a mission to us - to mission to set his people free.
No comments:
Post a Comment