Oct 14, 2013
Exodus
17:8-13
Psalm 121:1-8
2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Luke 18:1-8
The Lord is our guardian, beside us at our right hand, interceding
for us in all our spiritual battles.
In today's Psalm we're told to lift our eyes to the mountains, that
our help will come from Mount Zion and the Temple - the dwelling of
the Lord who made heaven and earth.
Joshua and the Israelites, in today's First Reading, are also told
to look to the hilltops. They are to find their help there -
through the intercession of Moses - as they defend themselves
against their mortal foes, the Amalekites.
Notice the image: Aaron and Hur standing on each side of Moses,
holding his weary arms so that he can raise the staff of God above
his head. Moses is being shown here as a figure of Jesus, who also
climbed a hilltop, and on Mount Calvary stretched out His hands
between heaven and earth to intercede for us against the final
enemy - sin and death (see
1
Corinthians 15:26).
By the staff of God, Moses bested Israel's enemies (see
Exodus 7:8-12;8:1-2),
parted the Red Sea (see Exodus 14:16) and brought water from the
Rock (see
Exodus 17:6).
The Cross of Jesus is the new staff of God, bringing about a new
liberation from sin, bringing forth living waters from the body of
Christ, the new Temple of God (see John
2:19-21; 7:37-39;
19:34;
1
Corinthians 10:4).
Like the Israelites and the widow in today's Gospel, we face
opposition and injustice - at times from godless and pitiless
adversaries.
We, too, must lift our eyes to the mountains - to Calvary and the
God who will guard us from all evil.
We must pray always and not be wearied by our trials, Jesus tells
us today. As Paul exhorts in today's Epistle, we need to remain
faithful, to turn to the inspired Scriptures - given by God to
train us in righteousness.
We must persist, so that when the Son of Man comes again in kingly
power, He will indeed find faith on earth.