God’s tremendous deeds
April 26, 2023 - Wednesday, Third Week of Easter
Psalm 66:1-3a, 4-7a
Psalm 66 invites the whole world to “sing praise to the glory of [God’s] name” (Ps 66:2) because of God’s tremendous deeds (Ps 66:3). The event that the psalmist refers to in particular is the Exodus from Egypt. God turned the sea into dry land and Israel could cross it and gain their freedom (see Ps 66:6).
At the heart of Israel’s faith is the powerful liberation of oppressed Israel from slavery to the Egyptian Empire. This miracle is narrated in the first part of the book of Exodus and is celebrated each year by the religious Jews in the festival of Passover. The story is filled with God’s mighty acts - ten plagues - that forced the Pharaoh of Egypt to let God’s people go. The story retains its significance in Christianity. The Fathers of the Church see Egypt, Pharaoh, Moses, and the waters of the Red Sea as symbols representing hidden reality: Egypt stands for sin, Pharaoh for the devil, Jesus is the New Moses, and the waters of the Red Sea signify baptism.
By his death on the cross, Jesus Christ crushed the devil and set us free from the power of sin. This victory over sin and death takes place in our lives during the sacrament of baptism. In this sacrament, we die with Christ, are buried with Christ, and are brought to new life with Christ (see Rom 6:3-4; Col 2:12). Thus, we can add to God’s tremendous deeds Christ’s resurrection and our salvation. Death is abolished, sin is purged away, and a new life begins.
In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about “a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem” that scattered the young Church “throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). That persecution allowed the Church to preach the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem. And so we hear about Philip preaching the Gospel in Samaria with great success. A successful proclamation of the Gospel and an establishment of a Christian community also need to be seen as God’s tremendous deeds. To draw people to faith in Christ is in my view more tremendous than drying up the waters of the sea.
After telling us about the crossing of the Red Sea, the psalmist declares that God “rules by his might forever” (Ps 66:7). The Gospel of Matthew ends with the risen Lord meeting his disciples on a mountain in Galilee and declaring to them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). The Church professes the risen Christ as Pantocrator, the Ruler of all, the Lord of the universe and history. This lordship of Christ that demoted all other authorities and powers from their thrones fills our hearts with joy.