The Exodus of the Chosen People from Egypt is the central and dominating event in the history of
God’s people, Israel. Moved by Yahweh-God, Moses leads the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, “out of the
house of bondage.” A chain of events, as recounted mainly in the Book of Exodus, began with divine
action to the man Moses: “The LORD called to Moses out of the burning bush. And God said, `I have
seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt.’” And so began the series of events: Moses called to
lead God’s people out of Egypt; God establishing the covenant, his bond, with the people at Mount Sinai;
and the giving of the Law through Moses to the people.
Celebrating Passover, the feast of the Exodus, some 1200 years later with his chosen disciples,
Jesus took bread, blessed God, and said, “This is my body, for you.” And he took the Passover cup of
wine, and said, “This is the cup of my blood, the new and eternal covenant. Do this in memory of me.”
Within a few hours, Jesus was tortured and murdered by the Romans, and soon appeared as alive and
as the LORD to chosen disciples. So begins the new Exodus, not from Egypt of slavery, but from self-centered
lives
into
the
peace
and
joy
of
God’s
Kingdom—into
a
union
between
God
and
a
human
being
responding
to
God’s
presence
in
Christ,
and
continuing
that
presence
into
the
world
through
loving
deeds
and
speaking
the
truth.
This
is
the
new
Exodus,
an
exodus
from
self
into
God,
a
process
beginning
through
responding
to
God’s
action
in
Christ,
growing
into
faith
enlivened
by
true
love,
and
blossoming
into
eternal
life
beyond
death.
Whereas the Chosen People celebrate the liberation from slavery in Egypt, grounded in divine
action, the Christian People celebrate liberation from sin-slavery to oneself, grounded on God’s action for
the world in the death and Resurrection of Christ. Whenever a human being turns to God, the process of
making an Exodus from “the world” (sin, self, evil) begins. As the Fathers of the Church wrote in the early
centuries, this Exodus has no end, for we are entering into God, “the end without end,” in a process of
“eternal progress” as the soul becomes an ever truer image of the unseen God, who is guiding the
process. In simpler language: By God we are becoming ever more fully one with God. That is the
essence of the Exodus.
For next week, Passion / Palm Sunday, please carefully read Exodus, chapters 16-22, on the
establishment of the Covenant between God and His people, and the giving of the law: “I AM the LORD
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Therefore, have no other
gods besides me.” Also remember our common Lenten practices which I urge for all of us to do: (1) Sit in
silence daily; (2) Prayerfully reading Scripture daily; (3) Attend an additional Mass weekly (and Stations
of the Cross); 4) Visit our elderly or shut-ins.
Next week-end: the Passion of the LORD.
