Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Numbers 12,1-13

Miriam, and Aaron too, criticised Moses over the Cushite woman he had married. He had indeed married a Cushite woman. They said, 'Is Moses the only one through whom Yahweh has spoken? Has he not spoken through us too?' Yahweh heard this. Now Moses was extremely humble, the humblest man on earth. Suddenly Yahweh said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, 'Come out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting.' They went, all three of them, and Yahweh descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tent. He called Aaron and Miriam and they both came forward. Yahweh said: Listen to my words! if there is a prophet among you, I reveal myself to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; to him my whole household is entrusted; to him I speak face to face, plainly and not in riddles, and he sees Yahweh's form. How, then, could you dare to criticise my servant Moses? Yahweh's anger was aroused by them. He went away, and as soon as the cloud left the Tent, there was Miriam covered with a virulent skin-disease, white as snow! Aaron turned to look at her and saw that she had contracted a virulent skin-disease. Aaron said to Moses: 'Oh, my Lord, please do not punish us for the sin we have been foolish enough to commit. Do not let her be like some monster with its flesh half eaten away when it leaves its mother's womb!' Moses pleaded with Yahweh. 'O God,' he said, 'I beg you, please heal her!'

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Moses becomes the object of criticism also from Aaron. The reason seems to be the Ethiopian woman, therefore a foreigner, whom he had married. The temptation of the people of Israel was to judge everything from their own experience, reducing everything to their own vision and tradition. God is always wider than our hearts. The Lord does not accept murmuring, divisions, whether small or large. Murmuring weakens the people, always, and increases division, casts suspicion, alienates the brother and sister, exposes everyone to the power of evil. Moses was much more gentle than any person on earth. He is humble, says the book of Numbers, and this is his strength. He does not answer but let's God intervene to defend him. When we are not humble, our self-deludes us into thinking that we are strong on our own, we respond to evil with evil, we thus make the seeds of division grow. God asks all three to go to the tent of meeting and rebukes Aaron and Miriam because they were not afraid to speak against his servant. God's wrath is his strong feeling, like Jesus' indignation in the temple occupied by the merchants; it is not punishment but a manifestation of his great passion. Understanding it helps us to evaluate the consequences of our actions, the pain they cause in God's heart. When we lose him because of our cunning, our heart becomes sick, as happens to Miriam. But Aaron realises the consequences of sin and asks for healing. Moses himself intercedes for Miriam and Aaron. He is truly humble. He puts everything back into God's hands and does not set himself up as judge of his brother.