St. Alphonsus Liguori
Exodus 40:16-21,34-38  +  Matthew 13:47-53
August 1, 2019

   Moses did exactly as the Lord had commanded him.   

In our First Reading today we hear about Moses being obedient to the Lord.  Actually, as we read the Book of Exodus and hear about the Israelites wandering for forty years through the desert, Moses is the only person who is very obedient to God.

Moses teaches us to be obedient, not only for the sake of obedience to God, but also for the sake of service to others.  From the opposite perspective, we are most helpful to others through the obedience we first render to God and His providential Will.

If we think of Moses in the desert, we realize that Moses, even though he listened to God, could have ignored the other Israelites in the desert.  He could have said, “Forget about those others!  They’re not being obedient to God.  Why should I help lead them through the desert?”  Moses could have left them behind and made it to the Promised Land a lot sooner.  But Moses realized that what God really wanted was for him to spend his whole life helping others find God.

We are blessed to have God in our midst.  As we participate in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus’ Body and Blood strengthens us to be obedient, in order to help other people learn about God and draw closer to Him.

St. Alphonsus Liguori
Bishop & Doctor of the Church