Daily Liturgy
Tuesday 20 July
SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
PASSING THROUGH WATERS
Introduction
In epic style and with a superabundance of poetic detail, the authors of Exodus write down, centuries after the events themselves, the realization that God himself had saved his people. The waters of the Sea of Reeds engulfed slavery and marked the beginning of freedom in God; they set off the people of God from the people of idols; later, the waters of the Jordan allowed a free people to enter its new fatherland.
This passing through saving waters is used in the New Testament to describe baptism; baptism is the beginning in the Christian of all true liberation, a passing with Christ from slavery to sin to life in God.
Jesus assures us that what brings us close to God and makes us his relatives is doing the will of the Father. This is all that matters, more than ties of blood. This mission was the core and meaning of Jesus’ life and death. Let us pray that his faithfulness may also be ours.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you passed with your chosen people
through the waters of the sea to a land of freedom;
you lead us, your new people,
through the waters of baptism,
that we may pass with Jesus, your Son from death to life.
Make us aware that for them and for us
this passing was only a beginning.
Stay by our side on the road of life
that we may keep growing in the freedom
of faith and hope and love
through him who set us free, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: Ex 14:21—15:1
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and the LORD swept the sea
with a strong east wind throughout the night
and so turned it into dry land.
When the water was thus divided,
the children of Israel marched into the midst of the sea on dry land,
with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
The Egyptians followed in pursuit;
all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them
right into the midst of the sea.
In the night watch just before dawn
the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud
upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;
and he so clogged their chariot wheels
that they could hardly drive.
With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,
because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians.
Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea,
that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians,
upon their chariots and their charioteers.”
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.
The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea,
when the LORD hurled them into its midst.
As the water flowed back,
it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army
that had followed the children of Israel into the sea.
Not a single one of them escaped.
But the children of Israel had marched on dry land
through the midst of the sea,
with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day
from the power of the Egyptians.
When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore
and beheld the great power that the LORD
had shown against the Egyptians,
they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD:
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
Responsorial Psalm: Exodus 15:8-9, 10 and 12, 17
(1b) Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
At the breath of your anger the waters piled up,
the flowing waters stood like a mound,
the flood waters congealed in the midst of the sea.
The enemy boasted, “I will pursue and overtake them;
I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them;
I will draw my sword; my hand shall despoil them!”
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
When your wind blew, the sea covered them;
like lead they sank in the mighty waters.
When you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them!
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place where you made your seat, O LORD,
the sanctuary, O LORD, which your hands established.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
Alleluia: Jn 14:23
Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mt 12:46-50
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Intercessions
– Lord, lead us your people today to the land of freedom from evil and to the covenant of love brought us by Jesus Christ, we pray:
– God, you remain always faithful to us. By your grace, keep us faithful to our baptismal promises, we pray:
– Lord, accept our song of joy that you keep protecting and guiding your Church, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
through baptism we have become
the one body of your Son Jesus Christ.
Give us the food of his body,
that we may become ever more
the body of his community.
As we have become
the brothers and sisters of Christ,
unite us and make us people
who freely choose to go hand in hand
the way of justice and love
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
We thank you, Lord our God,
for saving us and making us your people.
Keep reminding us, Lord,
that you are not an indifferent onlooker
when we develop this earth
and take our destiny in our hands,
when we grow in brotherhood and peace,
but that it is you who inspire us
and you who help us with your hand
to bring everything to a good end
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We are one. We are the body of Christ. How one are we in fact? Let the Spirit of God unite us more deeply, and may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Even if the Israelites crossing through the Red Sea did not occur with the epic-like proportions that Exodus presents, it made an overwhelming impression on the Hebrews and remained so throughout their history. The pursuing Egyptians are dealt with severely by the Lord, and the fleeing Hebrews walk safely across the dry sea floor. This was undoubtedly the great saving act of their history, and it was recounted annually within every family as an unfailing reminder of God’s power.
This is also part of our Christian history, since through our water baptism we too are made part of the people of God. But our Gospel account today transposes all of this to a distinctly higher key. As disciples of Christ, we are infused with the life-giving Spirit that makes us part of his family. We are now brothers, sisters, and mothers. Can there be a closeness greater than that?
Through our baptism we too have passed through the waters and have been saved by the blood of the lamb. Christ, our starting point and our final point, our Alpha and Omega, is both our Savior and our brother. There are many factors that call us to faithfulness, but family loyalty is high on the list!
Points to Ponder
Dramatic build-up in the crossing of the sea
The people of God
The family of God.