In this quiet moment of the liturgical year—Feria IV of the second week after the Octave of Pentecost—the Church draws us into a deep meditation on the mystery of divine election and reward, contrasting the Old Covenant’s anointing of sacred leaders with the New Covenant’s radical call to discipleship. Ecclesiasticus 45:1–6 and Matthew 19:27–29, when read together, disclose the deep continuity and fulfillment of God’s plan in the sanctification of chosen souls.
Ecclesiasticus 45:1–6 sets forth the figure of Moses, “beloved of God and men,” exalted as the archetype of faithful service and divine intimacy. “God made him like to the saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies.” Moses stands as a prefiguration of Christ, but also of every soul consecrated by God for a mission of mediation and holiness. The sacred writer, Ben Sira, emphasizes not only Moses’ election but the effects of that election: lawgiving, sanctification through glory, and the bestowal of divine knowledge.
St. Gregory the Great writes of Moses, “He did not so much seek greatness, as it was thrust upon him by obedience to God’s will” (Homiliae in Ezechielem, I, 2). Moses’ humility made him fit to receive the Law and speak with God “face to face.” His closeness to God did not begin with his office—it began with his faithfulness.
Then, in the Gospel from Matthew 19:27–29, St. Peter, ever the spokesman for the Apostles, asks the Lord, “Behold we have left all things and followed thee: what therefore shall we have?” Christ answers not with rebuke but with assurance: “You who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His majesty, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” This is a tremendous promise—not just reward, but participation in Christ’s own judgment and authority.
St. John Chrysostom observes, “See how Peter, though he had left but a little, receives a great reward, not according to the poverty of the offering, but the richness of the will” (Hom. in Matt., 64.3). The divine generosity outpaces human merit, yet it always crowns what grace has begun.
Both readings speak to the call and consecration of those whom God chooses—first Moses, then the Apostles, and finally, by extension, all who have forsaken house, brethren, or land for the sake of the Kingdom. The dignity of divine friendship, shown in Moses’ intimate access to God, is now promised to all who truly follow Christ with a whole heart.
A spiritual lesson for us today: In this time after Pentecost, the Church reminds us that the gifts of the Spirit are not abstract blessings—they are real calls to sanctity, to leave behind all that clings to the earth, and to be transformed into instruments of divine mercy and justice. We are all, in some way, invited to be like Moses—formed by silence, obedience, and awe before God—and like the Apostles, sent to bear witness, often at great personal cost.
St. Bede the Venerable offers this insight: “The reward is not measured by the renouncing itself, but by the charity with which it is done” (Homilies on the Gospels I.22). How searching a word! Are our sacrifices animated by love or by calculation? Is our service to the Church driven by desire for Christ or desire for approval?
Let us pray, in this time of Feria, that we too may be numbered among those who, like Moses and the Apostles, have not only heard God’s call, but responded with a generous heart. As the Ember Days of Pentecost have recently passed, and the fruit of the Holy Ghost is still fresh upon the Church, let us be ever more open to grace, more detached from the world, and more inflamed with longing for God’s glory.
“With holy faith and humble prayer, may we be found worthy to enter that regeneration wherein the Son of Man reigns, and we with Him.”
Suggested Reading for Further Meditation:
- St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew
- St. Gregory the Great, Moral Reflections on Job (esp. Book V)
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God
- Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Time After Pentecost, Week II
Prayer:
O Lord, who didst exalt Thy servant Moses and glorify Thine Apostles, grant us the grace to leave all for Thee, to live in Thy Law, and to reign with Thee in the regeneration. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.