2 nd Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Ex 33.17b-23
songs available :
You, all peoples of the earth, AeC 66: 1-4
Turn your eyes toward the Lord AeC 153: 1-3 C
is me is me who comforts you AeC 228: 1-5
17 "The Lord said to Moses: " [...] you have found favor in my eyes and I know you by name. "
18 Moses said "Let me see your glory!"
19 The LORD replied: "I'll pass all my goodness you and I proclaim before you the name of the Lord. I am because of who I will be gracious, and I have compassion on whom I have compassion. "
20 He added: "Thou canst not see my face, for man can not see me and live."
21 The Lord said: "This is a place near me. You stand on the rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in the hollow of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 When drew back my hand, you see me from behind, but my face can not be seen . ""
Dear brothers and sisters
eager to "see the glory of the Lord" !
amazing story that we just read. Already small, it intrigued me in the great book of sacred history that we came from my parents' generation. The only thing I withdrew was the feeling of greatness, the mysterious grandeur of God.
Here Moses was emboldened to want "see the glory of the Lord" ! What drives him to make such a request? "The glory of the Lord" ! Does he know what he wants?
Is it driven by pride? - Probably not, because God did not put in place.
Is it at this point if unhappy or disappointed or weakened by what he saw to want tangible evidence of God at his side? - Maybe.
Yet even before, "the glory of the Lord [him] had appeared" him and the people, but always under "representation" symbolic (Num 12.8): either it "appeared in the cloud" (Ex 16.10), or "she looked like a consuming fire " (Ex 24.17). In other words, "the glory of the Lord" manifested in a form that made the invisible God visible to men.
Yet mediator of the old covenant through which God has put in writing the basis of its alliance with Israel, Moses knew unparalleled intimacy with God. In our history, it is said, "the Lord spoke to Moses face to face" (Ex 33.11), but still, as we say today, through a distorting prism.
Hence his request: "Let me see your glory! "
A millennium and a half later, the apostle Paul says: " Everything that was written in advance was for our instruction, so that through perseverance and reassurance that the scriptures might have hope. " (Rom 15.4)
What does this story teach us? What brings us she's "comfort" ? How we help Does "persevere" in faith and strengthens our she "hope" ?
"MAKE ME SEE YOUR GLORY! "
1. When the desire for glory is he the greatest?
2. Where God makes one see his glory?
X X X 1 X X X
"Let me see your glory! "
When this desire is he the greatest?
What happened in the life of Moses?
It has just taken a drubbing. He leaves a huge disappointment. On Mount Sinai, he experienced an exhilarating experience at the highest point: God gave him the Tablets of the Law "written with the finger of God" (Ex 31.18), the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) as well as other rules (Ex 21-31).
He expected great joys in his return from his people. And discovers that he? The people turned away from God and was made an idol: the golden calf! And God threatens "make them disappear" , destroy the people! (Ex 32.1-10)
And the upheaval. A true implosion Moses. God where are you? God what are you doing? Are you really? Are you as powerful as mighty as you say? "Let me see your glory! "
That can not it happen to us on occasion? It is at the most exciting events occur that throw us down. We have endeavored to live something beautiful and something gets in and does everything collapsed like a house of cards.
This may be an illness, job loss, failure of a child's education or in life, a serious problem in the couple. It may also be, yet surrounded by the announcement continues the Good News of God's grace in Jesus Christ, problems in the parish, which tend to stifle any joy in the faith.
"Why are all these woes? "We shout so ... Anyway, this question haunts us so. "Why is this happening there? I had such beautiful projects! I did everything to live happy, fulfilled? Why has it failed? "
" Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of distress? " (Ps 10.1) " Why all this he is us " - am I - 'happened? " (Jdg 6.13)
" God, what are you doing? God, how could you? Why are you absent subscribers? I see nothing in your power, I feel nothing for your faithfulness! I only hear words I never see you only through the prism of the sacraments, under the guise of bread and wine! "Let me see your glory!" Give me something more tangible, more visible, more tangible! Hic et nunc! Here! Now! "
In the confusion, our ideas are not very clear, we struggle to make sense of things, and we may need to ask God for things somewhat displaced.
course, the strong desire to see the glory of God in this life it is understandable, the desire to see this now "which is reserved for us in heaven" ( 1 P 1.4). Understandable, but still moved.
X X X 2 X X X
"Let me see your glory! "
Where God does he see his glory?
One thing is certain: as long as we are on earth, we can not "see the glory of the Lord" directly. Even God said to Moses: "Thou canst not see my face, for man can not see me and live. " (v. 20)
mortals, sinners that we can not bear to see the LORD, the Holy One, the Almighty, face to face. Given our present condition, it would destroy us. "Man can not see me and live. "
comparisons are worth what they are worth. I risk myself anyway. You know: We can not look in the sun without being blinded, we can not bear to determine the intensity of its light would destroy the retina of our eyes. Similarly, the sinners that we could not support the direct contact with God without being consumed.
We find it hard to endure the sight of certain things - like the sun or a laser - which are, however, all part of this creation. It is even less possible, even quite impossible, to support the eyes of the Creator while we are on earth, as our bodies will not "transformed" and "made to conform to the body glorified " of our Risen Lord (Philippians 3:21). The spectacle of his glory we would consume.
Yet God does not entirely escape our senses. It is not that we have no contact with him. Instead, it searches, contact.
The case of Moses is very special. His place is unique in the plan of salvation. God calls the "great prophet" , who prefigures the Messiah Savior (Dt 18.18).
God has granted him an intimacy as we can only note, without really understanding it.
We could spend days philosophizing what means: Moses "saw God from behind" (v. 23), while God is omnipresent spirit. The supernatural, the divine, which comes from outside of creation, is incomprehensible to creatures we are, if we are not explained, at least approximately by comparison.
Later God give Paul a similar experiment, but the apostle says he can not speak because he can not explain it, he can not even repeat what he has heard "Paradise " , as this can be expressed in language of mortals. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
But in both cases, both from Moses to Paul, the important thing is not what they experienced, but what they heard. And what God said to Moses? - "I'll pass all my goodness you and will proclaim before you the name of the Lord" (v. 19).
"The Lord" - French adaptation of the Hebrew name "Yahweh" - refers to the covenant that God made. "The Lord" , thus arises the God of the covenant, the God who humbled himself to ally with us and raise him.
"The Lord" is a name charged "goodness" of "grace" and "compassion" to us (v. 19). It was with these three blessings that God appeared before Moses, with his "goodness" his "grace" and "compassion" to us. It consists in this "glory" that the Lord wants to reveal to Moses. It is still content - the same height! - of his glory he reveals to us also.
Here's how he made it clear to Moses closeness and intimacy he has with him "I know you by name" (v. 17).
is exactly what it says to us also by the prophet Isaiah: "Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name you are mine! [...] Indeed, I am the LORD, thy God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. [...] You have value to me [...] you of the importance and [...] I love you. [...] Do not be afraid, for I myself am with you. " (43.1 Es 3-5)
is in the promises of the Gospel that God reveals his glory, grandeur, majesty. This is where his glory is close to us becomes palpable: this is it really warms the heart.
What can we imagine a bigger, more glorious than the God of the universe, the Creator of the World, Three-time saint, we say "Fear not! "I know you by name! "I've bought! "You belong to me! " ?
Here is a God who annihilated us glorify God who is his glory to do everything so that we can find forgiveness and high, secure in his covenant of grace and life!
So when we reached the heart cry of Moses "Lord, show me your glory! " , not seeking glory where we have not promised to show us, do not look at things flashy - although he continues to work miracles by grace but when he decided freely -.
No, trying to see his glory where it deploys it: in his Word and Sacraments, where he shows us what he has done for us and what he did to us, where shows what is for us and what he wants to stay for us, our allies in this time and for eternity.
Let her go get warm rays of his divine glory Ally! This will help us cope with the coldness of this world.
"God is faithful and he will not let you soyés tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation also make a way out so that you can stand. " (1 Cor 10.13)
Let's listen to his Word and in sacrament meeting! Let us leave enlightened by his eternal light! Give him the opportunity to comfort us and strengthen our faith! Thus we can better meet the challenges and resist the darkness of this world.
Amen.
Jean Thiébaut Haessig
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