Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp.
Anyone who wished to consult the LORD
would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
and stand at the entrance of their own tents,
watching Moses until he entered the tent.
As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down
and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.
On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent,
all the people would rise and worship
at the entrance of their own tents.
The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
as one man speaks to another.
Moses would then return to the camp,
but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun,
would not move out of the tent.
Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people;
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”
So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights,
without eating any food or drinking any water,
and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant,
the ten commandments. EX 33:7-11;34:5-9, 28
Responsorial PsalmPS 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Early on in the Scriptures, in the Torah, we see Moses pleading with God for mercy on us, a stiff-necked people. As I continue to read St. Faustina’s Diary on Divine Mercy, I am learning that God’s mercy is at the heart of everything including our existence. It is by the Will of God in His mercy that we exist, that anything exists. Mercy from God is what allows you and I to have life. Amazing! We often think God or others owe us something. I continue to hear the theme of gratitude and thanksgiving for our blessings from the saints, this starts with humility. Recognizing what who God is and what He has done for us. We see it clearly today as Moses speaks to God,
“”Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people;
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”” Exodus 34:5-9
God is merciful and gracious. His love is a fountain of mercy and grace that is infinite and never ends. He is not like us who hold grudges and counts our sins. We judge and condemn one another and ourselves by our actions. The only way God judges is if we choose not to receive His mercy. Period. He desires nothing more than for our souls to be with Him forever. For this purpose we were made and exist. We bring judgment upon ourselves by our own free will. Never stop coming back to God and His mercy. Be slow to anger and rich in kindness, merciful to others, generous, and forgiving. Holiness beats sin every time because Jesus has overcome sin and death on the cross. We are called to be a part of this divinity. God became human so humans can become divine!
Today’s challenge: Learn more about God’s mercy. Read parts of St. Faustina’s diary if it seems too overwhelming. Strive to be more kind and merciful towards yourself and others.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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