Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Lord’s Care and Provision for His Rebellious People—This week’s Old Testament stories highlight God’s grace toward His rebellious people. Despite the mighty deliverance they had experienced in their deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, they grumbled and complained against the Lord throughout their wilderness sojourn to Mount Sinai. In Bitter Water Made Sweet it appeared to Israel as if they would die of thirst in the wilderness, but the Lord would not allow them to perish. He sweetened the water so that they could drink, and it would sustain life. In The Bread from Heaven they again grumbled against the Lord and accused Him of not caring for them by letting them starve in the wilderness. Again, the Lord provided manna from heaven and quail to eat in abundance. But even in their eating, they demonstrated ungratefulness and accused the Lord of abandoning them. In the Water from the Rock we see the source of every temporal and spiritual blessing: Christ, the Rock of our salvation. The Lord commanded Moses to strike the rock in the wilderness. Water gushed forth, completely satisfying every need of the entire congregation. By this water their thirst was quenched, and He would continue to provide for them from the rock throughout their sojourn. This rock is a picture of Christ. He is the Rock of our salvation. On the altar of the cross He was struck with a spear and blood and water gushed forth for the life and salvation of all who look to Him in faith. The First Battle announces the first of many victories that the Lord would give to Israel throughout their pilgrimage and as they would experience in the conquest of the Promised Land. Finally, this week’s Passion reading from St. Matthew is: Jesus Celebrates the Passover. This reading, so central to our Lord’s Passion, teaches us that every sacrifice and feast of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the true Passover Lamb. He was slaughtered for us upon the altar of the cross and in His supper we eat and drink of His body and blood for our salvation.CP230305