Reading 1
Ex 14:5-18
When it was reported to the king of Egypt
that the people had fled,
Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them.
They exclaimed, “What have we done!
Why, we have released Israel from our service!”
So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiersB
six hundred first-class chariots
and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all.
So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh
that he pursued the children of Israel
even while they were marching away in triumph.
The Egyptians, then, pursued them;
Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers,
caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea,
at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Pharaoh was already near when the children of Israel looked up
and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them.
In great fright they cried out to the LORD.
And they complained to Moses,
“Were there no burial places in Egypt
that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert?
Why did you do this to us?
Why did you bring us out of Egypt?
Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said,
‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’?
Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians
than to die in the desert.”
But Moses answered the people,
“Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.
These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
split the sea in two,
that the children of Israel may pass through it on dry land.
But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
his chariots and charioteers.
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I receive glory through Pharaoh
and his chariots and charioteers.”
Exodus 15:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6
Responsorial PsalmR. (1b)
Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
Gospel
Mt 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
Meditation: Matthew 12:38-42
“We wish to see a sign.” (Matthew 12:38)
When you’re in a romantic relationship, certain things will make you think of your beloved. It may be a picture in your wallet. You may drive past the restaurant you went to on your first date, or you may recall a movie that you watched together. You may hear a favorite song you shared that gives you goose bumps every time it’s played. But when it comes right down to it, which would you rather have— those reminders, or the person you love standing beside you?
That’s the nature of the problem that Jesus posed for the scribes and Pharisees here. He could see that they loved the God of the covenant, but he challenged them to go further. All they seemed to be interested in were the signs, or reminders of God’s presence in Israel’s history. They wanted proof of Jesus’ power, something that would show them God was in him just as he was present in the days of Moses and David. But the Son of God was standing right in front of them! Would another miracle really convince them?
What about us? Certainly there are times when God comes through for us in amazing, miraculous ways. But if we were to wait for a miracle before we believed in him, we would be like a traveler who, having seen a sign twenty miles ago, decided to come to a dead stop on the road and wait for another sign to appear before he kept going. Jesus knows that our growth comes as we keep moving forward, relying on the past signs and heading in faith toward our destination. We don’t need to sense God’s presence in a spectacular way every day. We simply have to trust that he’s with us.
In a sense, the biggest and most helpful miracle has already occurred. It’s the sign of the cross, telling us that Jesus has defeated death and sin and opened the gates of heaven to us. If we keep moving forward, letting the message of his cross guide us, we will discover a life-changing relationship with God, and nothing will be able to shake us.
“Lord, your cross I need—all the compassion, all the healing, and all the joy. With my eyes fixed on you, I can handle every situation!”
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