Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail

Leviticus 7:11-18 Priests offered peace offerings for thanksgiving, to fulfill a vow, or to praise the Lord. The flesh of the sacrifice had to be consumed on the same day so it would not spoil. In the New Covenant in Christ, Christ HIMSELF is the Eternal High Priest who makes the ONE SACRIFICE of his own Body and Blood which serves as SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT. The bishop or priest at the altar offers the Eucharistic Sacrifice in persona Christi capitis, “in the Person of Christ the Head.” This Sacrifice, in which all the faithful participate, is the same Sacrifice as that offered on Calvary. (CCC 1105, 1410, 1574)

Psalm 49 Christ spoke against putting faith in riches and material possession over everlasting goods. Wealth does not fill the longings of the human heart, nor does it lead to any lasting happiness. This psalm describes anyone who does not consider the finite realities of life as foolish; death does not spare the wealthy or shy away from the powerful. Through Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension he has purchased for us the rewards of everlasting life. (Cf. St. John Paul II, General Audiences, October 20 and 27, 2004)

Why should I fear: As in many other psalms, there is a strong reminder of God’s steadfast love and fidelity. In light of God’s constant concern for us, there is nothing to fear. Furthermore, God’s justice will ALWAYS have the last word. God will ransom...receive me: Although this verse may sound like a belief in the resurrection of the body, the psalmist may have nothing more in mind here than the blessing of a long life for the just and a life cut short for the wicked. This allusion to ransom, however, may refer to the Redemption that would eventually be won by Christ.

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006) 

• One of the questions that comes up a lot when we read Exodus is “So why is God HARDENING Pharaoh’s heart?”

• There are two different expressions used:

• The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

• Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

• What does that mean?

• It does not mean that God took away Pharaoh’s free will

• It does not mean that God OVERWHELMED Pharaoh

• It does not mean that God tried to teach Pharaoh a lesson

• It means that God is always good

• GOD IS GOODNESS ITSELF

• GOD IS TRUTH ITSELF

• GOD IS LIFE ITSELF

• GOD IS MERCY ITSELF

• GOD IS JOY ITSELF

• The only thing God emits are those things

• It is similar to the sun

• The sun emits light and heat 

• In the presence of the sun, wax melts and becomes soft

• In the presence of the sun, clay hardens

• In many ways it is about the DISPOSITION OF THE HEART

• If our hearts are open to the Lord 

• Even if our hearts are somewhat hard like wax, they will soften in the presence of The Lord….”NO, I ACTUALLY WANT TO DO YOUR WILL, LORD BUT I AM HAVING DIFFICULTY DOING SO.”

• If our hearts are clay, they become hardened in the presence of The Lord

• God is revealing his power to the people of both Israel and Egypt

• God is revealing HIMSELF to Pharaoh

• Pharaoh is getting to know that God is beyond all the gods of Egypt and conquers them

• Yet Pharaoh is obstinate and stubborn

• Pharaoh REFUSES to acknowledge Him

• God is demonstrating his reality, power, and the fact that He is on Israel’s side to Pharaoh

• In the presence of The Lord, Pharaoh’s heart hardens by God’s presence, power, and His fighting for His people Israel

• God never overwhelms anyone’s free will, even Pharaoh

• God always works with our free will in a mystery of Grace

• We have to realize “Does this happen in my life?”

• Sometimes my heart gets hardened in God’s presence

• God has revealed Himself to me at other times, but RIGHT NOW maybe I’m not getting the blessing I’m looking for

• Maybe I’m going through some dark times

• Maybe I’m struggling 

• Maybe that is when I begin to harden my own heart to The Lord

• Maybe in His presence I harden my heart

• Maybe in His silence I harden my heart

• The challenge is to NEVER let our hearts become hardened to The Lord

• Always have a heart that is SOFT when it comes to The Lord’s presence, power, and will for our lives

• This is why we need each other

• This is why we pray for each other

• This is why we lift each other up

• Because without God’s Grace, it is IMPOSSIBLE to do these things for each other 

• We are officially into our second month of the journey

• Keep praying for Fr Mike

• Keep praying for each other

• Harden not your hearts

Prayer by Fr. Mike: "Father in Heaven, we give you praise. We thank you for your Word. We thank you for speaking to us today and for sharing your heart with us. We continue to thank you for your willingness to fight, your willingness to wrestle, not just against us, Lord, not just with us, but to wrestle for us, to enter into our lives with your Grace, with your goodness, and with your power. Lord, we ask that you please conquer us by your love, conquer us by your Grace. Help us to surrender and to submit our minds and our hearts, our entire lives to your reign, You are the King. You are the God of everything. We give you praise in Jesus’ name. Amen."