By Shiju Joseph csc
Readings: Ex 12: 37-42; Mt 12:14-21
The first reading narrates a defining moment in the lives of the Israelites: the escape from slavery in Egypt. An exasperated Pharaoh asked them to leave Egypt taking whatever they wanted to take. It was so sudden that the Israelites did not have time to wait till the dough leavened.
So they took the unleavened dough and made bread and had their Passover meal. For them, this is a dinner they will remember for ever. Eating ‘unleavened bread’ became a reminder of this transformative experience for them, when they would talk to their children and grandchildren stories about ‘back in the days’. It was an illustration of how much God cared for them,
and the extent to which he would go to set his people free, and to ‘bring justice to victory’ (Mt. 12:20).
Just as he chose Moses to liberate his people then, and chose Jesus as ‘the beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased’, God continues to choose ‘suffering servants’ to be his voice. As someone chosen by God to be a witness of God’s presence among us, how do I fare? Would I consider myself as God’s beloved servant, even when I have to suffer? How much of myself am I willing to sacrifice to give to my people an experience of God’s caring love.