20 July 2021
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s reading depicts one of God’s greatest actions in the history of his flock, the parting of the Red Sea. The reverberations of God’s actions here echo throughout the scriptures in Psalms, songs, wisdom books etc. One echo is found in a small detail of time regarding God’s saving act.
As the people are making their way through the parted sea, and with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, God takes decisive action: “In the night watch just before dawn.” At this time of night, God brings order into the chaos of this dramatic scene of salvation history. God intervenes in the night/morning at the natural pivot between darkness and light. Here God acts to save his people. This time of night/morning echoes in Jesus’ actions in the Gospel. It is the same time that he walks on water and saves Peter from drowning or calms the storm of his disciples on the water. Like with his people against the Egyptians, so too, Jesus shepherd’s his people from chaos into safety, from the darkest part of the evening into the dawn of a new light in his mercy and grace. This Scripture parallel reveals that God’s shepherding is not a 9-5 job. Rather, God watches over us in all times of day and night, and many times he chooses to act when we least expect it to bring order into chaos, to bring light into darkness, and salvation into hopelessness.
Let us pray today to remain watchful and hopeful in all hours of the day and night so we are not caught sleeping when God is ready to act in our lives.