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
DEUTERONOMY 34:1-12
My Soul's Beloved,
If we, like Moses, who was hesitant, afraid, and made excuses to God that he was incapable of doing what God asked him, to free His people from exile and captivity and lead them to freedom, can finally, in humility, submit as he did, to the will of God, then He can make of us all the He desires, just as He did with Moses. The Word of God tells us that there was no more humble or righteous man than he. He did all that God asked him to do, overcoming his fears, and he stepped out in faith and carried out all of God's commands. God used him mightily. He gave the people of God the Law as given to him by the Lord on Mt. Sinai. He saw the face of God and was himself illumined by its brilliance. So great was the brightness of God's reflected glory that he had to veil his face so the people would not be blinded by the light that emanated from him.
But he was only a foreshadowing of the true Moses, the Son of God and the Son of Man, and he is superseded in every way by You, the perfect Man. Even though You were God You humbled Yourself becoming like us, experiencing all that we mortals experience, even temptations, yet succumbing to them. You were born sinless and remained sinless. The Lamb without stain or blemish, making Yourself a perfect sacrificial offering to God in atonement for the sins of the human race. As the new Adam, You atoned for the sins of the old Adam by Your perfect obedience to the Father. As the new Moses, You lead the people of the new Israel, the Church, from slavery to sin and exile to freedom, making us sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Thank You, Lord, for saving us, redeeming us, and grafting us into Your Body and for the promises of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Leaving the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land; Gilead 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, and the stretch of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.’ There in the land of Moab, Moses the servant of the Lord died as the Lord decreed; he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigour unimpaired. The sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. It was he that the sons of Israel obeyed, carrying out the order that the Lord had given to Moses.
Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!
PSALM 65(66):1-3,5,16-17
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Leaving the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land; Gilead 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, and the stretch of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.’ There in the land of Moab, Moses the servant of the Lord died as the Lord decreed; he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigour unimpaired. The sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. It was he that the sons of Israel obeyed, carrying out the order that the Lord had given to Moses.
Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!
PSALM 65(66):1-3,5,16-17
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!’
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!’
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
MATTHEW 18:15-20
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