Each soul must seek some Sinai
Where God’s great truth are told;
Must find God’s revelations
Writ on shining plates of gold. (from “Some Sinai” by William L. Stidger)

One of the lessons learned early in life, especially as we grow in love of God and neighbor, is the good and bad often stand so very close together in our human experience. The poem, “Some Sinai” that is quoted above reminds us of this in a very real way.
We all know the story of Mt. Sinai. The story of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments and the story of the Israelites turning towards the false gods out of impatience and fear. The story of the goodness of God turned away from and then once again received in repentance and forgiveness of the mercy of God. We must all stand at the foot of our own Mt. Sinai in love of God and neighbor. It is an act of obedient and gracious love where we are transformed into a new creation where the love of God becomes the central focus of our lives.
Here we discover a true transformation because we know in every fiber of our beings the truth and will of God but sadly through our sins we act against this truth. When we think of the scandal within our Church we can begin to understand the Sinai moments of pain and sorrow but also the hope of transformative moments of grace and healing.

Each soul must seek some Sinai;
Some vision-haunted place;
Some silent, sacred, singing shrine
To see His lighted face. (from “Some Sinai”)

As the poem ends, we are reminded of our need to confront the “vision—haunted place” in order to fully see the face of our God. As difficult as the next years will be, we must confront this vision and the reality of sin in our Church, family and life. Just as the Israelites wandered forty years in the desert. This truth can be daunting and we may want to shy away from it and even say, “We don’t want to do this any more” and turn away from the difficult and hard journey before us.
But we must remember our Sinai story and the forty years fo growing in purification, holiness and trust in God as we prepare to enter into the holy land of life blessings. And like the desert journey, there will be more sin uncovered, more false steps but there will be healing and peace, because this is what God promises us.
During the desert journey we are reminded that God’s love and hope was shared in the prefiguration of the cross (Nm 21:4-9) as they were healed of the bites of the serpents.
It may sound monotonous, but it is true: the only answer to all the hurts/sins of life are found in seeking the mercy of God found in the Cross of Jesus Christ. As Christians our Mt. Sinai is discovered on Calvary and the sum of the Commandments are seen on the Cross. We discover and live our Mt. Sinai only in prayer, in sacrifice and in service to God with one another.
Please continue to pray for the sanctification purification and healing of the Catholic Church.
God Bless,
Fr. Mark