We’ve heard the story about baby Moses in the basket many times at mass, if we have been going to mass very long. The readings repeat themselves every three years. Children are also quite drawn to this story, perhaps because babies are so helpless it is hard to imagine one floating down the river unattended in a basket. Who could have thought this would be God’s will at the time? But, it was. No one knew at the time that little baby was being saved for a particular purpose, except for God. Moses’ mother did the right thing by hiding him for three months before letting him go too. She saved his life by doing so. Pharaoh’s daughter also decided to save Moses’ life and raise him as her own as adopted son.
This is a little thing that could go unnoticed about today’s readings if we were not paying close attention. Moses’ mother hid him in order to save his life as a baby and Pharaoh’s daughter also saved his life as a baby when she drew him out of the Nile. However, the reading today ends by telling us that Moses grew up and killed a man. This is hugely significant to us today. People always think that famous figures in the bible were extraordinary human beings that never sinned and that is just not true. Today’s scriptures show us that Moses actually committed murder. Actually, King David did too, but Jesus himself was born from King David’s bloodline. This too is very significant, that Jesus chose to come into the world as a descendent of King David.
When Christ died on the cross, two revolutionaries died with him. We know one of them to be the good “thief”, but in many translations of the bible the word “thief” is translated as “revolutionary”. Either way, the “good thief” more than likely killed people as well. Jesus forgave him on the cross just as soon as he acknowledged Christ as King and was sorry for his sins though. Actually, this thief (murderer) is known as Saint Dismas in the Catholic church. Since there can be no saints until after Christ died, Saint Dismas is actually the first saint in the Catholic church. A murderer was the first saint in the Catholic church and this is probably more than a little unsettling to some people.
And of course we should not forget Saul either. He caused the persecution and deaths of many early Christians but he repented of his sins and became Christ’s strongest ally and evangelist whom we know today as Saint Paul.
The key here is repentance. King David openly repented of his sins and so did Saint Dismas and Saint Paul. There is no account of Moses publicly repenting of his sins though. This is noteworthy because Moses’ actions spoke of his repentance, even if we never hear him say so in the scriptures. Jesus said pretty much the same thing in the gospel today. The citizens of Tyre and Sidon showed their repentance with their actions, by wearing sackcloth and ashes.
Repentance is a hard thing for most people. Sometimes we just don’t want to give up a sinful behavior. However, sometimes we don’t understand that something we have done really is a sin. Many modern women are confused over the issue of abortion, because the laws of our country protect their right to choose an abortion. These women obey the laws of our country and often do not even run a stop sign while driving a car, but if they do, or they are caught driving over the speed limit, then they are fined because they broke the law. There is no law against abortion, but abortion takes a human life. This little human life is a miracle and so worth protecting, just like Moses’ mother protected his life as a baby. Just look who he turned out to be. God used Moses to lead the entire Hebrew nation out of slavery in Egypt. But, we should also learn from Moses, that those who have taken a human life through abortion can be forgiven if they are truly sorry for what they did. Moses was forgiven, so was King David, Saint Paul and Saint Dismas.
One last thing about today’s scriptures for mass. They tell of the need to protect human life, especially babies, and the need to forgive those who have taken a human life if they are truly sorry for what they did. This also applies to the death penalty. Repentance is possible until the very last moment of life. Jesus desires the salvation of every human soul and we need to give prisoners every opportunity to repent of their sins before they die. Jesus has some pretty strong words for those who do not, in today’s gospel. But, the state of each person’s soul and their fate should be judged by Christ, and not us.
Today, maybe we should think our own lives and allow other people the chance to do the same. Those who support abortion or the death penalty are in God ‘s hands and He can work miracles in the hearts of those who love Him.
