December 10: Moses
Traditional Ornament: Stone Tablets / Mountain
Reading: Exodus 19-20, 24
“Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples. You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” (Exodus 19: 5-6)
In the covenant with Moses, God makes Israel a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. As his sons and daughters, the people of Israel are to be a light unto the rest of the world, bringing all nations into union with God.
God gives Moses the Ten Commandments, which He has written on stone tablets. The commandments are the condition of the covenant. In order to keep the covenant, Israel must keep God’s commandments. They are His family rules, a “code of conduct” for man’s relationship with God, and his relationship with others. When Moses takes the laws to the people assembled at the foot of the mountain, they respond, “We will do everything that the Lord has told us!” (Exodus 24: 3)
Sometimes the commandments may seem like God’s way to restrict or limit our personal freedom. But, there is another way to look at God’s laws. This Advent we can think of the commandments as God’s way of protecting us from actions or situations that can hurt us. In this light, the commandments become the means by which we can have the freedom to live life fully.
© 2017 Catechist’s Aide
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