8/12/2015 – Wednesday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time – Deuteronomy 34:1-12

     Today, we hear from the last chapter of Deuteronomy.  It is the very last chapter in the Pentateuch – the first five books of the Old Testament that have such a prominent role in the Jewish faith.  I have alway been disappointment at the circumstances of Moses' death, about Moses not being able to enter the promised land, the place where he led the people through so much turmoil and grumbling and rebellion.  I always thought it was unfair that God did not let Moses enter that promised land.  Moses life work ended at their arrival in their arrival there. Even though God had shown him the goal and end point of all his hard work, God did not permit Moses to enjoy it. Yet, he did take possession of it in the name of his people.

     We celebrate Moses as a great prophet in our Catholic faith.  His story and the story of the Exodus in the Bible have a lot to teach us as Christians.  One statement that struck me in one of the readings we previously had in one of our daily readings was from the book of Numbers, which describes Moses as the most humble man in all the earth.  I do not remember hearing this comment previously, and it really challenged the way I viewed Moses.  I always saw him as a tenacious and courageous leader; I really did not focus on his humility. Today, many Christians see the liberation of Moses and of the Israelites in the Exodus story as a paradigm from what we need to be liberated from in our lives.  

       Let us celebrate Moses today.  Let us learn from his life and thank him for the lessons of faith that he teaches us.