God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. 2 COR 5:19
EXODUS 12:37-42
My Soul's Beloved,
No matter how long the soul is in exile, You will come to our rescue and save us no matter how long we have waited in hope for You. Eventually, when the time is right, at the appointed hour, You will come. You will rescue and You will save. This is the power of Your Name, O Lord, Jesus, one who saves. This is why we can trust You always. No matter how dark the night, You will come. All we need to do is wait patiently and pray. You are a God of tender mercy and compassion, slow to anger and ready to forgive. You know that we, children of Adam, are weak. We are self-indulgent, desirous only for pleasure and easily distracted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. But You pursue us relentlessly. It does not matter how far we run, we cannot outrun You.
Too often, we make the perilous journey through life without making any provision for it, and any resources we have are meager. But You make sure that not one of these little ones who are sealed in Your Blood will go hungry. You provide food for the journey - Your own Most Precious Body and Blood. You will abide in us and You will ensure that not one of us, created in love by our Father, redeemed by You, and sanctified by Your Holy Spirit, will be lost. Thank You, Lord.
The sons of Israel left Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand on the march – all men – not counting their families. People of various sorts joined them in great numbers; there were flocks, too, and herds in immense droves. They baked cakes with the dough which they had brought from Egypt, unleavened because the dough was not leavened; they had been driven out of Egypt, with no time for dallying, and had not provided themselves with food for the journey. The time that the sons of Israel had spent in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And on the very day the four hundred and thirty years ended, all the array of the Lord left the land of Egypt. The night, when the Lord kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, must be kept as a vigil in honour of the Lord for all their generations.
PSALM 135(136):1,10-15,23-24
Great is his love, love without end.
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
He remembered us in our distress.
And he snatched us away from our foes.
The first-born of the Egyptians he smote.
He brought Israel out from their midst.
Arm outstretched, with power in his hand.
He divided the Red Sea in two.
He made Israel pass through the midst.
He flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea.
Great is his love, love without end.
MATTHEW 12:14-21
MATTHEW 12:14-21
My Soul's Beloved,
You are unmatched in humility and obedience, even though You are God, the only Son and First Born of the Living God, the Eternal Word of the Father in whom and through whom all that is was created. Yet, You willingly submitted Yourself to death on the Cross, for this was the Father's will, the salvation of the human race. Creating us in His image and likeness, granting us the gift of free will, this great gift that we would use to deliberately and shamefully turn against Him, who is love, and created us in love. Yet, instead of wiping us off the face of the earth, annihilating us in anger, which would be justified, He asked You to become like us. You left Your glory behind. Clothed Yourself in human flesh taken from Your Virginal Mother, who received You in her womb, as the Ark of the Covenant received the Stone Tablets, the Rod of Aaron, and the manna - the bread of heaven. You, O Lord, are the Eternal Word of the Father, the High Priest, the true Bread from Heaven.
From the moment Herod got news that a King was born, he was threatened, and vowed to kill You and to this day every Herod in every age, culture, and language is threatened by You who are all love, humility, tenderness, and compassion. No weapon forged against Love Incarnate will prevail, yet the enemies of Truth will never cease trying. Even those chosen by God to be His own people refused to acknowledge You, and in doing so, they scripted their own downfall. Unless they acknowledge You, Beloved, they will never know peace, but will be hounded at every turn until they acknowledge to the glory of the Father, bend their knees, and confess that You are indeed Lord, their long-awaited Messiah has indeed come into the world and redeemed it only then will they experience the peace that You came into the world to give all who believe.
The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus, discussing how to destroy him.
Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all, but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah:
Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved, the favourite of my soul.
I will endow him with my spirit,
and he will proclaim the true faith to the nations.
He will not brawl or shout,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He will not break the crushed reed,
nor put out the smouldering wick
till he has led the truth to victory:
in his name the nations will put their hope.
Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all, but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah:
Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved, the favourite of my soul.
I will endow him with my spirit,
and he will proclaim the true faith to the nations.
He will not brawl or shout,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He will not break the crushed reed,
nor put out the smouldering wick
till he has led the truth to victory:
in his name the nations will put their hope.
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