CT - Catholic Telegraph

Making God’s people His own

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Exodus 19:2-6a. (Lectionary 091, June 12)

This Sunday’s Old Testament reading provides the background for an important element of the gospel reading. In the gospel (Mt. 9:36-10:8) we see Jesus sending His apostles out to proclaim the kingdom. The primary audience for this proclamation was not to be the pagans nor the Samaritans, but "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." The Jews were God’s chosen people and they were to be the preferred addressees of God’s ultimate saving intervention in Jesus. It was only after the Gospel had been offered to them that it was to be proclaimed to others.

Our Old Testament reading describes to us how God intended to deal with this people He was making His own.

The Israelites have been on the road for more than two months since their liberation from Egypt. They had now reached Mount Sinai where they would remain for nearly a year. Here God would manifest His will for them and teach them how they were to respond to His overtures. At this point, God had not yet given them the 10 Commandments. They had not yet fallen into idolatry. Their relationship with God was still unsullied and loving, one might almost say romantic.

Moses goes up the mountain to be with God. God shares with Moses His idea of what this people would be, how this people would relate to God. Moses is to bring all this to the people. In effect, God says, "You see how I have rescued you from the Egyptians and have brought you out here to the desert to be with me. In view of what I have done for you so far, I want you to know that if you are faithful to Me, we will have a special relationship. You will be mine in a unique way, in a way that no other people on earth is mine, even though I have the right to choose any people I want to be mine. You will be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."

In this passage, God gives a description of what He intends His people to be. These verses have been called the introduction to the peak of the Pentateuch, a fundamental statement of theme for a series of chapters that would serve as the religious constitution of the Israelites for centuries to come. It’s almost as if God is singing a love song to His people. God has eloped with Israel from Egypt and now God is wooing her, is sharing His plans with His beloved.

Israel remained God’s beloved, and when the time came for God’s definitive and final saving actions in Jesus, these saving actions took place first of all in the context of the house of Israel. They were still God’s beloved. They were still God’s "special possession." To them before any other people on earth the good news of Jesus would be addressed. Nobody was to have precedence over them in being presented with the gospel. That’s why Jesus gave His apostles the directions we heard in this Sunday’s gospel reading. Others would be addressed in due time, but only after the word had been given to the people that God had fallen in love with and run away with into the desert.

However, what is offered to the Israelites in this reading from Exodus will not be limited to them alone. In fact, the culminating gifts that God speaks of in this passage ("You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation") are applied to the members of the Church in the New Testament (cf. I Peter 2:9).

When God’s word speaks of the Israelites and the Church as a holy nation, it means that those people are different from the rest of the world, that they have a relationship with God that others do not share. This holiness, this relationship is not something that is earned or deserved, but an association with God that can only come by gift.

When God’s word speaks of the Israelites and the Church as a kingdom of priests, it doesn’t mean that every member of the people exercises official, liturgical ministry. Rather, it means that the people as a whole have responsibilities for acting as intermediary between God and the rest of the world. They (we!) are to extend to the other peoples of the world the holiness that God has given to the people He chose first. This is the priestly activity that every member of the people shares.

The Israelites at Mt. Sinai, the Jews of Jesus’ time, members of the Body of Christ today: all of us have been loved by God, all of us have been offered holiness by God, all of us have been called to partake in the priesthood of God’s care for all His human creatures.

For Reflection and Discussion.

How do I experience the Church as holy?

How do I experience the Church as a kingdom of priests?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk Making God’s people His own Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Exodus 19:2-6a. (Lectionary 091, June 12) This Sunday’s Old Testament reading provides the background for an important element of the gospel reading. In the gospel (Mt. 9:36-10:8) we see Jesus sending His apostles out to proclaim the kingdom. The primary audience for this proclamation was not to be the pagans nor the Samaritans, but "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." The Jews were God’s chosen people and they were to be the preferred addressees of God’s ultimate saving intervention in Jesus. It was only after the Gospel had been offered to them that it was to be proclaimed to others. Our Old Testament reading describes to us how God intended to deal with this people He was making His own. The Israelites have been on the road for more than two months since their liberation from Egypt. They had now reached Mount Sinai where they would remain for nearly a year. Here God would manifest His will for them and teach them how they were to respond to His overtures. At this point, God had not yet given them the 10 Commandments. They had not yet fallen into idolatry. Their relationship with God was still unsullied and loving, one might almost say romantic. Moses goes up the mountain to be with God. God shares with Moses His idea of what this people would be, how this people would relate to God. Moses is to bring all this to the people. In effect, God says, "You see how I have rescued you from the Egyptians and have brought you out here to the desert to be with me. In view of what I have done for you so far, I want you to know that if you are faithful to Me, we will have a special relationship. You will be mine in a unique way, in a way that no other people on earth is mine, even though I have the right to choose any people I want to be mine. You will be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." In this passage, God gives a description of what He intends His people to be. These verses have been called the introduction to the peak of the Pentateuch, a fundamental statement of theme for a series of chapters that would serve as the religious constitution of the Israelites for centuries to come. It’s almost as if God is singing a love song to His people. God has eloped with Israel from Egypt and now God is wooing her, is sharing His plans with His beloved. Israel remained God’s beloved, and when the time came for God’s definitive and final saving actions in Jesus, these saving actions took place first of all in the context of the house of Israel. They were still God’s beloved. They were still God’s "special possession." To them before any other people on earth the good news of Jesus would be addressed. Nobody was to have precedence over them in being presented with the gospel. That’s why Jesus gave His apostles the directions we heard in this Sunday’s gospel reading. Others would be addressed in due time, but only after the word had been given to the people that God had fallen in love with and run away with into the desert. However, what is offered to the Israelites in this reading from Exodus will not be limited to them alone. In fact, the culminating gifts that God speaks of in this passage ("You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation") are applied to the members of the Church in the New Testament (cf. I Peter 2:9). When God’s word speaks of the Israelites and the Church as a holy nation, it means that those people are different from the rest of the world, that they have a relationship with God that others do not share. This holiness, this relationship is not something that is earned or deserved, but an association with God that can only come by gift. When God’s word speaks of the Israelites and the Church as a kingdom of priests, it doesn’t mean that every member of the people exercises official, liturgical ministry. Rather, it means that the people as a whole have responsibilities for acting as intermediary between God and the rest of the world. They (we!) are to extend to the other peoples of the world the holiness that God has given to the people He chose first. This is the priestly activity that every member of the people shares. The Israelites at Mt. Sinai, the Jews of Jesus’ time, members of the Body of Christ today: all of us have been loved by God, all of us have been offered holiness by God, all of us have been called to partake in the priesthood of God’s care for all His human creatures. For Reflection and Discussion.** How do I experience the Church as holy? How do I experience the Church as a kingdom of priests?

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