The First Reading of today tells the story of Moses who enters into dialogue with God to “sweeten the face of the Lord”. In doing this, he implements two strategies. Firstly, Moses decisively refuses to receive preferential treatment with respect to a community of which he feels he is a member and pastor. He prefers to walk with a difficult and unfaithful people, rather than being placed as the beginning of a new nation: yes, the Israelites are a sinful people, but they remain his people. For this, he is willing to be “erased from the book that God wrote” (v. 32), in order to remain in solidarity with his brothers and sisters. This highlights Moses as an excellent example of what being a pastor/shepherd implies.
As a pastor, he then enters into dialogue with God, reminding him of who He is and His relationship with the people. This was his second strategy. Moses does not justify Israel. He does not try to downplay their sin. Instead, he relies on God himself, asking God to continue to act as God, to be faithful to Himself. In rereading the passage in Deut. 9: 25, Moses speaks of a long and tiring intercession: “I was prostrate before the Lord for forty days and for forty nights, because the Lord had threatened to destroy you”.
Verse 13 where Moses reminds God of the oath made to fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob made me think of Isaiah 62: 6 – 7. “You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest too till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” I was reminded of Gethsemane where Jesus, alone, did not fall asleep and kept awake throughout the night interceding for sinful humanity. We cannot forget the incessant intercession of Abraham on behalf of sinful Sodom and Gomorah (Gen 18:16-33).
The strongest impression I have about today’s First Reading is that of God’s “weakness” in front of Moses’ intercession. Even with all the dangers of His very harsh reaction (v. 7-10), what actually emerges after is his mysterious “fragility” and the “support” He tries to find in Moses. There is no doubt, Moses is the strong character here, and in fact, he will be the “winner” in this dialogue that appears dramatic but at the same time exciting! Almost the same scene is played out in Abraham’s intercession (Gen. 18). God is always disposed to be “influenced” by the earnest entreaties from his people, be it for themselves or for others.
The intercession of Moses prefigures that of Christ who, in solidarity with man (Heb 4:15), intercedes for us with the Father (Heb. 7:25). God’s response to this intercession reaffirms God’s fidelity in word and deed, and he resumes calling that unfaithful people “His people”, instead of Moses’ people. This is exactly what the Church still does today, standing in the gap between God and man. The Church continues Christ’s work of mediation and intercession for sinners, seeing herself in solidarity with sinful humanity. At each Mass, the Church prays: “Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church….” It is not holiness (of the Church), but faith in the promise of God which guarantees the efficacy of the Church’s mediation. This is also what happens at the confessional, where the Church, relying on the clemency of God, obtains pardon and forgiveness for the penitent.
This sense of solidarity should also influence own prayer of intercession for our brothers and sisters. Let us continue to pray for one another, and to intercede especially for sinners (which all of us are). Let us not forget to lean on the powerful intercessions of the saints, who are our good friends and companions. Prayer “changes” the unchanging God.
