~ by Father Ron Camarda

From the book of Exodus 12:21

Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and procure lambs for your families, and slaughter them as Passover victims. Then take a bunch of hyssop, and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin, sprinkle the lintel and the two doorposts with this blood. But none of you shall go outdoors until morning. For the Lord will go by, striking down the Egyptians. Seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over that door and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.

Beloved, Easter is determined by the fourth moon of the year. This past weekend we witnessed the super full moon. The next full moon (the fourth) will fall on Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday). Exodus comes from two words: “Ex” could mean thrown out, and “odus” means road. After the Egyptians suffered the death of their first-born children and animals, they were glad to be rid of the people from Israel (which translates to “Isra” (to wrestle) and “El” (God).

So Lent is a time to be “thrown out” into the desert road in our darkness of sin. God never leaves us and the moon is a reminder. Lent is a time to “wrestle with God”. However, we will probably come to a conclusion that we are really wrestling with ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait for the darkness to pass over the moon for the next 30 days. Please keep in mind, that the only way to survive Lent is to put the Blood of the Lamb on the doorpost of our own bodies…our lips.

As Catholics, we believe beyond a doubt that the Lamb that we consume in the Body of Christ is the same Lamb that the Israelites ate before they were thrust into the Red Sea and the desert for forty years. God provided water and manna in the desert. We must trust God during these uncertain and scary times.

Behold! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are they who are called to this supper!

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the Word, and my soul shall be healed!

I wrote the following two poems this week. I believe you can understand how God is using me as an instrument of peace so that we can go deeper into the Mystery of God. Have a blessed Passover Lent!

17 March 2011 – St. Patrick

Beloved God, I cry to You

And wait

And wait

Morning at my home…Domus Coeli

Birds, beautiful, spring like

First week of Lent

Longing in the desert

Threat of wars, nuclear fallout, earthquakes and meltdowns

The earth is passing away

And we ALL need to prepare

for the Passover

from our own heart to Your Heart

a heart of compassion, mercy and love

The Blood of the Lamb

must be on our lips

journeying through our blood stream…

Nothing will harm us if we trust in You, O Beloved

This is the Final Exodus

Only in You, O God, can we trust

You, our Father and Mother

You, our Brother and Sister

You, our Lord and Savior

You, Your Son, Jesus

You, our Lover

O Jesus, we are scared of this Passover

You ask us to put out into deep water

Deep calling on deep

Depth of soul

Dark Night where we must trust

It is time to put our grieving aside

Time to plunge into the

Red Sea

Blood Waters of Baptism

With your Blood you have mingled into polluted waters of our world

and You make them clean

Our sins are scarlet

you make them white as light

.

Show us your face O God!

You assure us that you indeed have

Jesus

Jesus

No other Name in heaven, on earth, or in hell

can escape the power

the breadth

the weakness

the depth

nor the height

.

Jesus

Beloved Son

Beloved Beloved

Who calls us to Be Loved as “Beloved of God”

Impossible, unheard of, incredible and crazy…yet true

Praise to You, Beloved Jesus…

My life, my source, my all

O my

Thank You, Lamb of God, for this Passover…Eucharist!

12:43 am/ 19 March 2011 – St. Joseph

Rather late

I resist going to bed

Finally here in bed…and I write about my walk today

.

Moon Walk

Moonrise just before sunset

I walked the beach

Atlantic Beach into Hanna State Park…and back

The painting changed and transfigured with the transforming light

The “super moon” is here.

During the day sun so bright…impossible to look at

And so the gift of the moon…

The face of God is too bright to gaze upon

And so the gift of the Son…

What we long to see…

We are only able to see Your light reflected off the moon…at least for now

During the day the light of the moon is obliterated

Yet in the darkness…we recognize the beauty…a glimpse of Your beauty

Not only was the moon gorgeous and inspiring…

but the pastel colors of the sky, the sounds of the ocean, sand and surf

all piqued as the pelicans, seagulls and terns

accented and transfigured the God of day and darkness

in harmony with my soul rising

O how wonderful to moonwalk and be…o my!

LOVE, JOY, PEACE,

Father Ron Moses +

www.tearinthedesert.com

Father Ron Camarda is a retired Naval Chaplain and author of “Tear in the Desert,” a powerful book containing his memoirs of life and death at the Battle for Fallujah. Father Ron appears on EWTN and recently won the Silver Medal from the Military Writers Society of America.