Memory of the Church

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Exodus 40,16-21.34-38

Moses did this; he did exactly as Yahweh had ordered him. On the first day of the first month in the second year the Dwelling was erected. Moses erected the Dwelling. He fixed its sockets, set up its frames, put its crossbars in position and set up its poles. He spread the tent over the Dwelling and the covering for the tent over that, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. He took the Testimony and put it in the ark, positioned the shafts on the ark and put the mercy-seat on top of the ark. He brought the ark into the Dwelling and put the screening curtain in place, screening the ark of the Testimony, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. The cloud then covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, since the cloud stayed over it and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling, the Israelites would resume their march. If the cloud did not rise, they would not resume their march until the day it did rise. For Yahweh's cloud stayed over the Dwelling during the daytime and there was fire inside the cloud at night, for the whole House of Israel to see, at every stage of their journey.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The "tent," a sign of God's presence, will accompany the people of Israel throughout their history. Through the "tent," not only is God close but will accompany the steps of Israel day by day. This is why the "tent" is not built according to human standards. It is God himself who dictates to Moses the modalities of construction, down to the smallest details, as shown in the first verses of the chapter. It was not any building, but the place where the people would gather in the presence of God himself to be the people of the covenant at the service of God's plan for the salvation of all peoples. Everything was anointed with the oil of consecration, both the objects and Aaron with his sons: they were consecrated for worship to the Lord. And whoever approached the tent had to purify himself from evil. At the end of the consecration, Moses placed in the tent the ark with the Testimony. He became the guarantor, one could say, that all the work is built according to the directions given by God. At that moment "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." The descent of the cloud also showed the descent and presence of God in that place in the eyes of the people. What is written on this biblical page will be fully realized when "the Word became flesh and lived among us" (Jn 1:14). Jesus is the place of God's presence among us.