3 February | EVERYONE
“So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And Moses said to the congregation, ‘This is what the Lord commanded to be done.’ Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.” Leviticus 8: 4-6
It was a good day, a day of happiness and recollection for Aaron and his four sons. Happiness that did not exalt them or make them feel superior. Recollection for knowing that God has chosen them. Pure happiness, like the clearest and most transparent water, without foreign residues made perfect by serene, holy recollection, which made the responsibility that was to be conferred on them shine. The five were at the door of the tabernacle in front of the congregation, and Moses washed them by divine command. They were purified by water, but at the same time, humiliated by exposing their nakedness to the eyes of the people. There is no cleansing without humiliation. There is no priesthood without purification.
Leviticus chapters 8-10 describe the eight-day ceremony that led to the ordination of Aaron and his sons. In these three chapters, the verbs "to say" and "to command" are recorded at least twenty times. It is clear that the act of ordaining the first priests of Israel was not a human initiative. God said and commanded. Moses simply obeyed. There was no human "creativity." Israel’s leader simply obeyed.
Soap and bleach are necessary to cleanse the body. For the purification of the soul, the streams of sanctifying grace that come from heaven are needed. It is not human work. The sinner needs to put himself in God's hands and allow Him to will and to do His good pleasure. All of us are called today to live holy lives. We are a royal priesthood, a people chosen to proclaim the good news of salvation to the world around us. But before we take on our mission, we need to be bathed in the redemptive and transforming grace of Jesus.
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Do not be afraid to be purified by God even if it reveals your shame. The same One who purifies you is the One who covers them forever! Today, give yourself more to Jesus so that you may live a clean life of service to others.