Endrosse

Moises pastor

Monday Reflection: The Untiring Arms of Jesus Christ

The First Reading for Sunday Mass in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 'C', carries an interesting story with a deeply symbolic Mosaic gesture. The story reads that "as long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people." (Exodus 17:11-13).

Moses was a friend of God. He spoke to God as a man would speak to his friend (Ex. 33:11). He could approach God to discuss any matter that had to do with his mission of being led by the Lord to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and guide them towards the promised land, even if he did not enter the land himself. In short, he was a man endowed with so much of God's favour and blessing. Hence the raising of his arms during Joshua's battle against Amalek brought victory to the former. Many a time Moses interceded for the Israelites and the Lord relented from destroying them. So the favour he had was not peculiar to the battle against Amalek, but this particular gesture of his arms carries an extra symbolic pointer to the redemptive power of Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Christ is the New Moses. Moses himself told the Israelites that "the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers, You must listen to him" (Deut. 18:15). Jesus in his turn often referred to the action and teaching of Moses in order to fulfill the meaning of Moses' mission, which was meant to be a pointer to Jesus the Messiah. In one context Jesus said, "Just as Moses lifted the snake in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted up. So that anyone who believes can have eternal life in him" (John 3:14-15).

The stretching out of Jesus' arms on the cross during the crucifixion changed the world once and for all. Hence the Church prays during the Stations of the Cross, "We Adore you O Christ and We Bless you, because by Your Cross you have redeemed the world". Since his death on the cross and until he comes again in glory we continue to adore the crucified Lord who is also risen. Unlike the Old Moses whose arms grew tired during the battle against Amalek, the arms of the New Moses do not grow tired. Hence we can call them 'The Untiring Arms of Jesus'.

The outstretched arms of Jesus are our spiritual shed. They protect us from evil even as they are outstretched to welcome those who believe into his Father's kingdom. No wonder St Paul says "...may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ... (Gal 6:14). For an equally similar reason St Ignatius Loyola places the mission of the Society of Jesus (and its collaborators/friends) as one that has to be carried out "under the Banner of the Cross"in order to avoid the temptation of vanity. Under the cross, through the cross, and the untiring arms of Jesus the Redeemer we are safe and victory is assured.