Woe to You
We are told the story of Moses. Even though Pharaoh has commanded male children be killed, his daughter disobeys and has Moses raised by a Hebrew woman. This woman, unknown to Pharaoh’s daughter is Moses’ mother.
Perhaps it is important for all reading to realize that Moses is also of Hebrew descent, lest we think he is Egyptian. At some point, Moses must have discovered that he is of Hebrew descent. Thus, he defends his Hebrew brother from the attack of the Egyptian. Defending a fellow human being is a good thing, but not to the destruction of life. Moses must have been a very zealous person, quick to act without much thought.
When he discovers two Hebrew men arguing, he intervenes but to his surprise his Hebrew brothers turn on him. This is a good lesson for Moses. Using violence to control violence never works. It will come back to haunt him. Moses realizes he cannot hide the murder he has committed. No, he must fear for his life for the violence that Pharaoh will certainly inflict upon him. Moses escapes to the desert. We come to the desert to reflect and meditate not only what we have done but to discover how God works within us and through us.
Without this ‘desert’ time to discern God’s Will we run the risk of believing we are self sufficient and do not need God in our life. The once great cities mentioned in today’s gospel are no longer. They all thought themselves self-sufficient. Arrogant and prideful they have come to a sad end as all of them are no more than a pile of rocks, crumbled and fallen. Not too long ago there were some great cities of today: Silicon Valley, Fort Knox, or Wall Street. Woe to you.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen