3rd Sunday in Lent

Moses appears in our first two readings this morning, and also in our Responsorial Psalm. His name is also attached to the first five books of the Bible, The Pentateuch, as sort of an honorary author. Last Sunday the gospel reading recounted the Transfiguration. The two people who appeared with Jesus were Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets – two big portions of the Old Testament. Our veneration of Moses is shared by Islam. “Musa” is “Moses” in Arabic, and is a very common name among Muslims. 

And yet, if there ever was going to be a vote for the patron saint of deadbeat dads, I think my nomination would go to Moses. Two days ago at Vigils we heard about the descendants of Aaron and how his ministry had been passed on to them. But there is no such passage about the descendants of Moses. 

In our first reading this morning, Moses comes upon the Burning Bush while he is tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. We all remember the story of Moses fleeing Egypt and stopping at a well in the land of Midian. The seven daughters of Jethro come to water their father’s flock, but are driven away by other shepherds. Moses comes to their defense and waters their flock. He ends up staying with Jethro, who gives him his daughter, Zipporah, in marriage (Ex 2:15-22). They have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. 

When Moses returns to Egypt to free the Israelites from Pharaoh, he takes Zipporah and his sons with him (Ex 4:20). But at some point before the Exodus, he sends them back to Jethro in Midian (Ex 18:2). Then, after the Exodus, as the Israelites are roaming about in the desert, Jethro brings Zipporah and the two sons to Moses (Ex 18:5). We are told of the interchange between Jethro and Moses, but nothing more is ever heard of Zipporah and Gershom and Eliezer. Did they stay with Moses? Did they return with Jethro? The silence in their regard seems odd. 

In Numbers 12 we read that “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.” Does this mean Zipporah was not around? Or was this woman a second wife? In any case, there is not much evidence that Moses was a devoted dad. Zipporah seems to have been neglected, and his sons played no role in Israelite history. 

I think we can infer that Moses was sophisticated, since he was raised in the court of Pharaoh as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Zipporah was probably pretty simple, since she was a shepherdess and lived in the open country. Maybe they ended up being not all that compatible. 

I guess what I take away from it is that God is able to use imperfect instruments. He is able to work through us even when some of our defects remain. Sometimes we may think that God is only going to be pleased with us when we have our act completely together. But that is a projection on our part. We see God as that harsh owner of the fig tree in this morning’s gospel. If the tree is not loaded with fruit, cut it down. But Jesus shows us that God is always willing to work with us; he is always willing to “cultivate the ground and fertilize it.” He is always patient with us and optimistic about our potential. 

But, that does not give us a license to become complacent and negligent in our walk with God. Our second reading concludes with the warning, “These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us . . . . Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” God wants to see some sincere effort on our part that we are trying to root out the vices and cultivate the virtues. As long as he sees that we are trying, he’s okay with the fact that we haven’t arrived yet. He gets it; he understands. After all these thousands of years of watching human beings, he’s not taken aback by our flaws. 

It seems like every person has some area where they struggle and feel disappointed about. Maybe it’s anger and impatience. Maybe it’s overeating. Maybe it’s being judgemental. Some defects are more obvious, some are more hidden. We all have them. We feel embarrassed about them, but they can end up in the long run being our ticket to heaven. They can keep us from getting too proud and self-satisfied, and they can convince us everyday of just how much we need to rely on God’s grace and not on ourselves. They may even end up being the poop, the manure that acts as fertilizer and helps us to grow. Our sanctification is taking place in the struggle. Glory is being given to God in the process, and not just in the end result. 

Lent is a good time to redouble our efforts at improvement. We may sometimes feel discouraged by our weakness, but God’s mercy is always there ready to envelope us. With these thoughts in mind, let us listen again to the words of our opening prayer: 

“O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be lifted up by your mercy.”