“It was because the LORD loved you and because of his fidelity to the
oath he had sworn to your ancestors, that the LORD brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you
from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 7:8
Our readings these past couple of weeks have been following the Israelites and their exodus from Egypt, telling the history of our salvation. I absolutely love (and identify with) this age-old story, because I often feel like a modern-day Israelite stuck in my own personal Egypt. I become discontent and unfulfilled, yet bound by my complacency and sinfulness and, many times, fearful and unwilling to leave the comfort of familiarity — anxious about what might lie ahead if I dared say yes to a new life of freedom, beyond the borders of “good enough.”
Really, Egypt can be just another name for our individual “houses of slavery” where we dwell in our sinful habits. It is no longer a land we need to leave behind, but rather our spiritual bondage. Thankfully, the Lord wants to rescue us, because He knows that when we remain there, holding onto our chains, we are choosing fear over trust, stagnancy over renewal, bondage over freedom, and ultimately, an existence without Him. Jesus Christ came to break those chains of slavery; He is the true Passover Lamb, the spotless victim, whose Blood sets us free.
“For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”
Gal.5:1
In my own life, I usually try to figure out what my current Egypt is, ask the Lord for the grace to trust in His plan, and take a leap of faith into the great unknown, feeling very proud of myself for being so courageous in leaving the relative comfort of my lukewarm patterns behind. And then, in the form of temptations, trials, sickness, or the burdens of life, those dratted Egyptians come a-calling, threatening to overwhelm me, clamoring to enslave me once again, and all my resolve melts away. What trust I had is replaced with doubt and anxiety as I try not to listen to the voices of Egypt calling me back. I begin to question God, echoing my ancient Israelite brothers and sisters,
“Why did you do this to me?”
“Why did you bring me out of Egypt?”
“Did I not tell you this in Egypt, when I said,
‘Leave me alone. Let me serve the Egyptians’?
Far better for me to be the slave of the Egyptians
than to die in the desert.”
Faced with what seems to be certain defeat — and the resulting temptation to give in and return to the chains of bondage — the reminder God gives to the Israelites is meant also for me:
“Remember that you too were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and
the LORD, your God, brought you out from there with
a strong hand and outstretched arm.”
Deuteronomy 5:15
Most times the grass sure is greener, and we forget that in our Egypts, wherever and whatever they are, we are slaves. No matter how “comfortable” we feel in our chains, no matter what the forces of evil say or do to lure us back to our places of sin, we will never be free there. It is so important to recognize this, because hopefully, the more we realize we are enslaved, the more we will desire freedom. This is a huge step in our journey out of Egypt, and it gives God “permission” to step in and come to our rescue … and step in He will!
As our psalm tells us today, “the Lord is a warrior” (Ex. 15:3), and He will stop at nothing to bring us into His freedom and keep us there! For me, the best part about this, is that unlike so many things in our lives, we don’t have to do much, or try to set ourselves free, we simply have to surrender all our fears, doubts, discouragements, and concerns to the Lord, repent of any attachments to our sin, and ask for the grace to desire freedom. Once we do these things, we can sit back and watch the victory of the Lord on our behalf, claiming the words of Moses from today’s reading:
“Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see
the victory the Lord will win for you today.
… The Lord himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”
(Ex. 14:13-14).
This verse is probably one of my favorites in all of Scripture, because like so many others, I am one of those people who always feels the pressure to be productive, do everything perfectly, keep it all together, etc. And being told to just be still, that the Lord will fight for me — and trusting in that truth — is like finally being able to exhale after holding your breath for a long time. So breathe out with me. The Lord is a warrior; He’s got us taken care of.
On a practical note, “sitting back” and “keeping still” does not mean we won’t ever have to engage in battle; in this context, it means we shouldn’t be anxious, worried, or fearful … that we should have the inner calm that trust brings. After all, the Lord Himself is fighting for us! But we are in a constant spiritual battle, and a large part of seeking freedom from our sins is repenting of them, as I mentioned above, and revoking them. So I’ve included a prayer below that I use on a regular basis, whenever I am feeling tempted, especially when experiencing any fear, anxiety, discouragement, doubt, anger, or any other sinful inclination. Along with frequent confession, this type of prayer is incredibly powerful (particularly when prayed aloud) and will change your life.
May the Lord give us the grace this week to discover and abandon our “Egypts,” to trust in His plan for our lives, to long for a renewed encounter of His mercy, and to live a life of authentic freedom in His Heart.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you, Jesus for your Eucharistic presence throughout the world.
Thank you for your passion, death, and resurrection, and your victory over sin, death, and Satan.
Thank you for giving the victory to Mary and sharing it with us.In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of His Precious Blood, I take authority over you, Satan, and all you other evil spirits in or around me or _____. I set the Blood of Jesus upon you, especially you spirit of _____, and I order you to be gone, bound to Jesus, never more to interfere with our lives.
Lord, Jesus, we belong to you. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Fill us with your mercy. Send your angels to guard and guide, comfort and instruct us, so that we may love and serve you every moment of our lives.
(Say the “Our Father” and conclude with, “For the kingdom and the
power and the glory are yours, now and always and forever. Amen.”)© Fr. George Kosicki & Vinny Flynn.
