A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings
This passage addresses two topics: 1) theme of festival, and 2) fast of Moses. Wth regards to the theme of festival, we are introduced to the terms festival of unleavened bread, the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, the festival of ingathering, and the festival of the passover. The “festival of unleavened bread” was a seven day festival where the Israelites ate unleavened bread to mark their coming out from Egypt. As part of the festival, the Israelites were supposed to dedicate an offering to the Lord. No one was to appear before the Lord empty-handed or half-hearted. In fact, God did not want their leftovers or inferior gifts. Instead, God expected that the people would set apart their very best for him. How often do we approach the Lord? What do we dedicate or give to the Lord when we come before him or are we always taking and receiving from the Lord? This passage acknowledges the need for the Israelites to work but also highlights the importance of the Sabbath. A work-life balance was key to a healthy life. The Israelites needed to trust God to not only deliver them from dailys trials but also trust him to enlarge their borders. What does our work-life ratio look like? Do we take time out to rest, reflect, repent, and rededicate ourselves? If we are not observing rest in our life, then what might this mean with regards to our faith in God? Do we truly trust God to deliver us from our struggles and bless us abundantly with even greater responsibility.
The second topic has to do with the fast of Moses. Moses was with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. This period of fasting prepared Moses for the moment when God wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. What spiritual practices do we observe in preparation for what God desires to do in our life? We are told that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. How does our engagement with God affect our physical, mental and emotional state of being? When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. Do those around us observe anything different about us in our thoughts, words and deeds because of our interaction with God? Do we come across as holier-than-thou and condescending towards others or do we have an inviting and welcoming aura about us? Moses could have kept Aaron, the leaders, and the people in fear and selfishly profited off of their fear. Instead, Moses called to them; they all returned to him and received from Moses what the Lord had given to him. This underscores the reality that our personal holiness should never become for a public barrier that alienates those we are called to serve. Rather, our humility and love for our brothers and sisters should draw others into a deeper sense of God’s holiness.
In this passage Paul explains that he sent Timothy (whom he had discipled and mentored) to the church in Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage them in the faith so that they would not be shaken by the persecution they were experiencing. Have we discipled anyone - a colleague, coworker, church member, student, friend, family, brother, sisters, parent or child? Would we be willing to let go of those we have mentored so that they might benefit someone else or do we feel the need to hold onto them so they can satisfy our selfish desires? Paul reminds us that we will all suffer persecution. The reason we disciple or mentor others is so that they can facilitate the faith of others in overcoming the trials and temptations of life. There is a special joy in knowing that those we have trained have gone out from us and found success in sharing the good news, building up the faith, and deepening the experience of love. Even if we do not immediately see the fruits of our labor, we must trust that the seeds we have planted will bear fruit eventually by the grace of God. There will be moments when we are remembered and appreciated years after we planted seeds but there will also be times when we forgotten about and taken for granted. This must not affect our dedication to discipling others and mentoring them in Christ. Our prayer must always be that those we serve will increase and abound in love for one another and for all, and that the Lord strengthen their hearts in holiness that they may be blameless before God and edifying to those around them.
Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No' anything more than this comes from the evil one. Enough said.
To God be the glory now and forever. Amen.
Fr. Thomas+
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