Face to Face | August 12, 2015

 August 12, 2015

The first reading marks the end of the Jewish Torah or the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), and I always thought it to be a sad ending for Moses. I feel bad for the guy that didn’t even want the job in the first place, but put up with millions of complaining Israelites for 40 freaking years! Every other week they would anger God, and Moses would come to their defense begging God for mercy. Year after year, the thought of the Promise Land stirred Moses’ heart to stay in it and to persevere. By the time they were ready to enter said Promise Land, Moses was old already and so God showed him the whole land saying, “This is the land which I swore to

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”

BUT YOU SHALL NOT CROSS OVER??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME, GOD??? IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE??? AM I BEING PUNKED??? That’s how I would react if I were Moses. I’m just sayin’.  

Sure enough, Moses died and if the story ended there, I personally would be inclined to say, “What’s the point of serving the Lord if I don’t get to enjoy the Promise Land?” However, the next part of the story reveals the deeper and sweeter reality:

“Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands upon him; and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience, thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.

Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land, and for the might and the terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.”

First of all, Moses had to leave in order for the “spirit of wisdom” to be left upon Joshua, just like Jesus had to leave in order for the Holy Spirit to animate the Apostle’s souls. Also no one could see God face to face and live, but Moses was the chosen one who enjoyed such an intimate relationship with God: eyelash to eyelash they shared breath, word, love, and intimacy. Someone that close to God is NOT meant for the things of this world and so this seemingly sad ending reveals itself as a triumphal entry of God’s chosen one into the Promise of Eternity. The next time I get caught up in worldly rewards, I hope to remember that intimacy with God is the only way to cross over into the true Promise Land: Heaven.

This story paints the picture of a tender relationship and today’s gospel is all about relationships. The steps are pretty simple:

1. If someone hurts you, talk to him or her about it, face to face.
2. If they don’t listen to you, then bring a couple of trusted friends along so that there is some sort of mediation.
3. If they still don’t listen to you, then bring the matter to the church.
4. If none of these efforts result in reconciliation, then move on (Jesus actually says to shun them or excommunicate them from the community, but we’ll just say move on).

I realize that this is all easier said then done and in our modern world these steps seem a little outdated and maybe even irrelevant, however, it does give us permission to get on with our lives and to leave our baggage at the altar. If we make earnest attempts to not only reconcile with those that have hurt us, but to tell them exactly how they have hurt us, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault” and if they do not receive those efforts for reconciliation, then we must or have permission to rid ourselves of them just like the removal of any cancer. We are called to a higher standard and that means we need to make all attempts to reconcile, however, there comes a point when we need to cut people loose if they are weighing us down by sin, or hurt, or ugliness, or abuse, or unforgiveness, or unwillingness to hear our hearts. Jesus says that if we bind these things to ourselves, in other words, tie them around our neck, we will live with them forever, but if we cut them off, we will be free of them forever.

Why do we need to focus on healthy relationships? Jesus gives us the answer at the end of this gospel, “Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about

anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” We need healthy relationships, because that is where God dwells!!!!!!! BAM and YAY!

I pray that each of us surround ourselves with friends that will help us to be holy, that will seek and accept forgiveness, and that will share in our prayer so that God will always be in our midst and face to face we will cross over into heaven holding hands and cheering for one another.  

Reading 1 DT 34:1-12

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him, 
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.

Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.

Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.

Responsorial Psalm PS 66:1-3A, 5 AND 8, 16-17

R. (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples; 
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare 
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!

Alleluia 2 COR 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen, 
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”