Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 13:1-22 Just as Passover was celebrated as a memorial of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Mass is celebrated as a memorial of the NEW PASSOVER, our liberation from slavery to SIN AND DEATH. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, however, is not merely a recollection of Christ’s Passion and Death but a TRUE RE-PRESENTATION of Christ’s redemptive Sacrifice on the Cross offered in a BLOODLESS AND SACRAMENTAL MANNER. (CCC 1334, 1363)


Exodus 13:13 Every first-born...you shall redeem: The presentation of Christ in the Temple was in accordance with this ancient command. This event is celebrated in the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, forty days after the Nativity. (CCC 529)


Ch 13:22 God made himself known in many different ways: by means of the burning bush that was not consumed, the pillar of fire, and the cloud. These THEOPHANIES-manifestations of God-reassured the Israelites that God was with them and dwelt among them. (CCC 35, 2084-2085)


Ch 14:4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart: The sense of this statement is not that God made Pharaoh STUBBORN but he ALLOWED Pharaoh, by his own free will, to become OBSTINATE and ENTRENCHED IN SIN. Anyone who refuses to accept God’s merciful love through repentance becomes more deeply enslaved to sin. (CCC 1864)


Ch 14:15-31 The account of the crossing of the Red Sea and the defeat of the Egyptian army is read at the Mass of the Easter Vigil. It is a definitive moment in salvation history that has been remembered and celebrated every year since the first Passover. This feast marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar year to stress this most important episode in the history of Israel as the Chosen People. The crossing of the Red Sea is a type (TYPOLOGY!!) of our salvation through the waters of BAPTISM. (CCC 117, 128-129, 1094, 1217-1222)


Leviticus 10:4-11 After the death of two of Aaron’s sons due to unspecified transgressions, Moses imposed stricter discipline upon the priests. The prohibition of drinking alcohol suggests that the sin of Aaron’s sons may have been connected with drunkenness. Excessive consumption of alcohol, drugs, or even ordinary food is a sin against the VIRTUE OF TEMPERANCE. (CCC 1809, 1838, 2290)


Psalm 53 Bearing a strong resemblance to Psalm 14, this psalm labels the atheist as a corrupt fool. It follows that disbelief in God results in ignorance and rejection of the reality of objective truth, which rests on the existence of a divine lawgiver. 

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

Key Event 19: Crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17-15:21)

When the Israelites flee Egypt, they find themselves trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. God MIRACULOUSLY parts the sea, enabling the Israelites to pass through on dry land. When the Egyptians give chase, the water returns and destroys their army. Like the flood, this event prefigures BAPTISM (REMEMBER TYPOLOGY) in the New Testament (see 1 Cor 10:2)

(*Walking With God: A Journey Through the Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)



Prayer by Fr Mike: "Father in Heaven we thank you for Your Word, we thank you for Your Commandments, we thank you for fighting for your people. One again, you reveal to us in Exodus that you are willing. You not only see us, you not only know us, you not only know our plight, but you hear our pleas and you know our plight. You answer our prayers and you answer by fighting for us. We praise you for that. We thank you for that. Every single day you fight for us, Lord God. You continue to give us your Grace. You continue to make us whole again. You continue to call us closer and closer to your heart. Help us to always say ‘YES’ to you. We ask this prayer through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, through the intercession of all the saints. We make this prayer in the mighty name of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen."

ANDREW'S PARALLELS

The Consecration of First-Born Sons and the Consecration of Christ. I have heard an interesting statistic (can't find the source to verify at this time) that the majority of Catholic Priests tend to be the first-born son of their parents.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights the crossing of the Red Sea as the foremost prefigurement to Baptism in the Old Testament. Where Egypt is slavery to sin, passing through the sea is baptism that washes away the armies of sin that seeking to keep us chained. On the other side of the waters we have new life and a journey ahead of us to the Heavenly Promised Land.