Day 8

This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord; you will celebrate it as a statute forever. Exodus 12:14

After Jacob’s sons had moved to Egypt to survive the famine in Canaan, they settled and became prosperous. Over time, the Pharaoh became hardened toward the Israelites; out of fear and selfishness, he begrudged their prosperity and close-knit community. He enslaved the Israelites, making them do hard labor and taking away their rights. The Israelites were miserable. 

In prayer, they remembered the 3 promises made to Abraham—a great nation, a great name, and all his descendants would be blessed. Things weren't looking too hot for the Israelites, and they wondered how in tarnation God would fulfill these promises. 

One day, God called upon an Israelite named Moses to save all the Israelites from slavery by leading them out of Egypt. At God's instruction, Moses told the Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" Pharaoh wasn't having any of it and told Moses, "No way!" God pressed the issue and sent plagues of frogs, flies, locusts, and other terrible things, showing the pagan Egyptians that He was the one true God, but the Pharaoh wouldn't budge. He continued to deny God and oppress the Israelites. God knew He had to act a final time for Pharaoh to change his mind. God told Moses that His final plague would be the death of the firstborn of every family and cattle in Egypt; God promised to spare the lives of the Israelites if they did as He instructed. 

Each Israelite was to sacrifice an unblemished male lamb and place the blood of the lamb on their outside doorpost. The family must then roast and eat the lamb's meat in haste — with sandals on and ready to scoot out of Egypt! The blood on the doorpost was to be a sign for the angel of death to "Passover" that home and to not allow the life of the firstborn who lived there to be taken. The Israelites did as they were instructed, and, of course, God did as He said. After seeing the power of God, Pharaoh relented and told Moses and his Israelites to skedaddle! 

Each year, after the Israelites left Egypt, they ate lamb and unleavened bread while saying special prayers as a way to remember God saving them from the bondage of slavery. In the New Testament, we read about Jesus's Last Supper the night before His crucifixion. This meal was a Passover meal! On that night, Jesus institutes the Sacrament of the Eucharist, our perfect spiritual nourishment! 

The story of the Israelites's exodus from Egypt reminds us that God never forgets us in our suffering. It is important to remember that God does not will suffering, but because of Adam and Eve's sin, our human nature is broken, and suffering is a part of our lives. The Israelites left Egypt on the heels of Passover, escaping the bondage of slavery. This event points the faithful towards Christ's passion where Jesus saves us from the bondage of sin through His Passion. When united with His, our suffering has redemptive power! In His love for us, God gives our suffering dignity.