Reading 1
Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28
The tent, which was called the meeting tent,
Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp.
Anyone who wished to consult the LORD
would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
and stand at the entrance of their own tents,
watching Moses until he entered the tent.
As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down
and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.
On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent,
all the people would rise and worship
at the entrance of their own tents.
The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
as one man speaks to another.
Moses would then return to the camp,
but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun,
would not move out of the tent.
Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people;
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”
So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights,
without eating any food or drinking any water,
and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant,
the ten commandments.
103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Gospel
Mt 13:36-43
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Meditation: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5-9, 28
“The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God.” (Exodus 34:6)
We all know that Moses received the Ten Commandments on stone tablets at Mount Sinai and that he broke these tablets after seeing the Israelites worship a golden calf. But did you know that Moses received the commandments a second time? That’s the context of today’s reading. Moses has been in the “Meeting Tent,” begging the Lord to stay with his people even though they have disobeyed him. Mercifully, God agrees and gives him the words of the covenant again. But before we conclude that Moses changed God’s mind, let’s take a closer look at today’s reading.
In this second encounter, God made it clear that he is “a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Exodus 34:6). Amazing, isn’t it? Of all the ways he could have revealed himself, God chose to use words of compassion and mercy. This is not a description we would normally associate with the commandments and their emphasis on “shalt nots.” But it’s the first thing God wants to tell Moses. He is sticking with the Israelites not because they deserve it but because he loves them. He wants to be with them more than they want to be with him!
Our God really is a God of second chances. When the world was devastated by the flood, God restored it. When David sinned with Bathsheba, God forgave him. When the people were exiled to Babylon for seventy years, God brought them back and helped them rebuild their Temple. But the greatest second chance of all came through Jesus, who redeemed the entire world from sin and death. Over and over again, God shows that his first priority is mercy.
Sometimes we may picture God as a heavenly taskmaster, more likely to punish than to forgive. Whenever you think this way, picture Jesus on the cross and a waterfall of grace pouring out of his pierced side. You don’t have to be Moses to stand under that waterfall. You just have to bare your heart to him and let him cleanse it. From the moment Jesus ascended to the Father to this very day, he has been waiting for you to come!
“Lord, I come to you in grateful adoration. I am amazed that you keep on loving me, no matter how many times I fall! Thank you for your mercy!”
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