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Tag Archives: Unleavened Bread
Joshua 1-6:
Joshua leads the Israelites over the Jordan River:
If Deuteronomy was Moses' summary of the Law, then Joshua is the epilogue to Moses' Pentateuch (the five Books of Moses). Joshua takes over from Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua is one of seven figures in the Bible who has their names changed to correspond with their specific role in salvation history. (Others, for example, are Abraham, Sarah, and Peter). Joshua's original name was "Hosea" (meaning "salvation"; see Num. 13:8) but Moses changed it to "Joshua" (meaning "the Lord saves.") Joshua is a type of Jesus. Interestingly, Joshua and Jesus are the same names in Hebrew, ישוע ("Yeshua"). Joshua bears the name of the Messiah, Yeshua, or in English, Jesus. In effect, "Jesus" is leading the chosen people of God into the "Promised Land." In the New Testament, Jesus does, in fact, lead Christians into the promised land of Heaven. As Joshua prepares Israel to cross over into the Promised Land, they first prepare their provisions "for three days."
Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho, and They Meet Rahab:
Joshua's first conquest in the Promised Land will be Jericho, so he sends two spies to the city to reconnaissance it. They end up going "into the house of a harlot named Rahab, where they lodged." (Josh. 2:1) Rahab conveys to them that tales of the Israelites and the Red Sea drying up have reached them, and the city of Jericho is terrified to fight the Israelites. So, Rahab tries to help them, and save her family's lives. She says, "Now then, swear to me by the Lord that as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign, and save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." (Josh. 2:12-13) The two spies answer her, "Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the Lord gives us the land." (Josh. 2:13) Rahab is a sinner (prostitute) and a Gentile (non-Jew). Yet, the Israelites agree to save her if she helps them. Rahab is saved by making a covenant with the people of God. Rahab has been defined by the Church Fathers as a type for the Church and Christians. She is a sinner, a Gentile, non-Jew, yet she is saved. Rahab also conspicuously shows up in the genealogy of Jesus (Mt. 1:5). Jesus' lineage is not just to save the Jews. He has come with a universal mission to save all people. Rahab reflects this part of his ancestry. She is a symbol and a type of Church that will be saved by Jesus Christ. In this instance, she will be saved from the destruction wrought by Joshua on the city of Jericho.
Rahab's Scarlet Cord:
Rahab then let the two Israelite spies down with a rope over the city wall. She tells them to go up into the hill country and "hide there for three days, until they return." (Josh. 2:16) Again, as so many other times in the Old Testament, we see this motif of "three days." This has Christological significance as a foreshadowing of Jesus' three days in the tomb and death, where He was hidden. The spies tell her to: "Behold, when we come into the land, you shall bind this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down; and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household." (Josh. 2:18) By the scarlet cord, the Israelites will know not to attack her house, so as to save Rahab and her whole family. Similarly, by the scarlet blood of Jesus are we (as spiritual descendants of Rahab) spared from death and destruction. By the "scarlet cord" of Jesus' blood, much like the blood of the Passover Lamb on the Israelites' doors, are we saved. The blood of the Passover lamb on the door equates to the scarlet cord on Rahab's window equates to the blood of Christ on the Cross applied to our souls. Then, the spies departed into the hills where they stayed for "three days."
Preparations to Cross the River Jordan:
Joshua moves the Israelites to Shittim before crossing over the Jordan River. There they waited for "three days," and Joshua tells them to: "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform wonders among you." (Josh. 3:5)
The Miraculous Crossing of the Jordan River:
Now, just as Moses had led the Israelites miraculously through the Red Sea as on dry land, so now too, Joshua, the new Moses, was going to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River as if on dry land. Just as the Israelites' were "baptized" through the Red Sea, now too, they will pass-over the veil into the Promised Land. The Baptism of water leads to the entering the Promised Land. The priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant went into the Jordan River first and the waters miraculously dried up:
"priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over opposite Jericho. And while all Israel were passing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan." (Josh. 3:14-17)
The whole nation of Israel crossed over the Jordan River while the waters had stopped flowing while the priests holding the Ark of the Covenant stood in the midst of the riverbed. Once they were all across, Joshua told them to set up twelve stones there as a "perpetual memorial to the Israelites." (Josh. 4:7) This miraculous event exalted Joshua in the eyes of all the Israelites, to "know there is a living God in your midst." (Josh. 3:10) And, when the priests carrying the Ark left the riverbed, as "the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before." (Josh. 4:18)
The Hill of Foreskins:
At this point, we learn that the second wilderness generation under the leadership of Moses had never been circumcised. So, the Lord tells Joshua: "Make flint knives and circumcise the people of Israel again the second time." So Joshua made flint knives, and circumcised the people of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. ("Hill of Foreskins") And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt. Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people that were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised." (Josh. 5:2-5) Moses had neglected his spiritual duty as part of the Covenant, perhaps this was another reason why God was angry with him and did not let him into the Promised Land.
They Celebrate the Passover:
Just as the crossing of the Red Sea is recapitulated by Joshua, so too now, they recapitulate the Passover celebration. The Passover is eaten before Israel embarks on their next miraculous stage, just as it was originally eaten on the night of Passover in Egypt, and again on Mt. Sinai after with the Covenant. The striking parallels continue between Joshua, the second wilderness generation, with Moses, and the first Exodus generation. The Passover is the feast par excellence. It is the ultimate Jewish feast that precedes the miraculous and the saving. It is the Passover that foreshadowed Jesus' death on the Cross. This is what Passover predicted in word and action, and where it drew its ultimate symbology and power. The Passover Lamb of Christ, through His sacrifice of Body and Blood, that we are miraculously saved.
The End of the Manna:
As soon as the Israelites passed over into the Promised Land the miraculous manna ceased. The Israelites had lived off of and eaten the miraculous manna in the wilderness for forty years. But now, as soon as they step into the Promised Land, the manna stops. "And on the morrow after the passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. And the manna ceased on the morrow, when they ate of the produce of the land; and the people of Israel had manna no more, but ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." (Josh. 5:11-12) The manna is our Holy Eucharist. It is our food for the journey in this life. As soon as we cross over into the Promised Land of Heaven, we no longer have or need the Eucharist to sustain us. The Eucharist is the bread from Heaven that feeds us on our wilderness journey on the earth. Now, the Israelites no longer need the manna, as they will live off the fruit of the land of Canaan.
Joshua's Vision Before Jericho:
"When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to him, "What does my lord bid his servant?" And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Put off your shoes from your feet; for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so." (Josh. 5:13-15) Here too, just like the Angel of Death before the Passover in Egypt, the Angel of the Lord's army stands ready to slay the pagans at Jericho. So often, it seems, we are predisposed to believe in Jesus and God as a milquetoast figure, but clearly the Lord in the Exodus years is a warrior God of fierce strength and justice.
The Conquest of Jericho:
The Lord tells Joshua that He has delivered Jericho into his hands. He instructs them to encircle the city and walk six times around it, with the priests and the Ark of the Covenant and ram's horns. "On the seventh day march around the city seven times, and have the priests blow the horns. When they give a long blast on the ram's horns and you hear the signal, all the people shall shout aloud. The wall of the city will collapse, and they will be able to make a frontal attack." (Josh. 6:4-5) Then, Joshua commanded the people to follow the Lord's instructions. Troops marched in front of the Ark. Then, the seven Levite priests carried the Ark with the ram's horns. And behind the Ark marched picked troops. "The blowing of horns was kept up continually as they marched." (Josh. 6:9) The people were to remain silent until Joshua gave the signal. They did this for six days.
The Seven Day Siege of Jericho:
Seven is the sacred number of the Covenant, and it is the day of the Sabbath, when Israel shall rest. The whole Exodus is geared towards "rest" and worship of God in the Temple in the Promised Land. The whole Exodus from the beginning is oriented towards worship. (Ex. 4:23; 5:3) The siege of Jericho is presented as an offering dedicated to God as part of a liturgical ceremony. "On the seventh day they rose early at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times: it was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout; for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers that we sent. . . . So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Then they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and asses, with the edge of the sword." (Josh. 6:15-21) As they marched around the city 7 times on the 7th day, the priests blew their trumpets, and the people shouted. When they had done all of that, the walls of the city collapsed, and the Israelites conquered Jericho. Joshua was faithful to his promise though and commanded Rahab and her family to be saved. It is through Rahab's line that the Messiah would later come to be born.
The Liturgical Conquest of Jericho:
The conquest of Jericho is more liturgical in nature than strategic and military. The Israelites are led by the Levite priests in processions around the city. They do this procession each day for six days. Then, they do the liturgical procession seven times on the seventh day. The priests are in the procession carrying the Ark of the Covenant, the holiest object in the Old Testament. The priests are also carrying the ram's horns, sacred objects, which herald the destruction of the pagan town of Jericho. If the Israelites' celebrated Passover before the siege of Jericho, then they seven days of circumambulation around the city of Jericho coincided with the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The siege of Jericho began with the ritual Feast of the Passover, and continued with the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the walls of Jericho come collapsing down. The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are prefigurements to Jesus' death and Crucifixion, and to the Holy Mass and Eucharist respectively. By way of typology then, by Jesus' Body and Blood through His death, and the Holy Eucharist of the Mass, we will conquer sin and evil in the world. The Israelites show us physically how we are to conquer spiritually through religious ritual and liturgical worship.
The Fall of Jericho, Trumpet Blasts, and the End of the World:
The fall of Jericho has long been understood by the Fathers of the Church as a prefigurement of the end of the world. Just as the world will be full of evil-doers under the control of the Antichrist, so too, was Jericho under the control of pagan idolatry. Only the harlot Rahab and her family renounced Jericho and pledged allegiance to the Israelites. In the end of the world, only a remnant of the people, the Church, will renounce the Antichrist and pagan idolatry, and cling to the faith (ie, Christianity). But, it is through their faith, and the blood of Christ (ie, the scarlet cord) that they will be saved. Just as Rahab was saved from Jericho, so too, will the Christian remnant gain salvation from the Antichrist, the world, and death. Salvation will come liturgically through the foreshadowed feasts of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (ie, through Jesus' Cross and holy sacrifice of the Mass in the Eucharist). The Levite priests are blowing the trumpets throughout the procession. The trumpet ("shofar") is associated with the Feast of Trumpets (or "Yom Teruah" the Feast of Blowing 'Trumpets'). This is to symbolize the end of the world. The ram's horn (the "shofar") is a reminder of the ram that Abraham sacrificed in place of Isaac. The ram was the substitute sacrifice for Isaac, just as Christ, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed in our place, as our substitute. Trumpets signaled Yahweh's descent upon Mt. Sinai to the camp of Israel, amidst fire and darkness, thunder and lightning, and trumpet blasts, a foreshadowing of God's return at the Second Coming of Christ. The Book of Revelation reveals the end of the world and Jesus' Second Coming all amidst trumpet blasts. At the final trumpet blast, the walls of the Antichrist will come crashing down, and the New Joshua, Jesus, will return to destroy the evildoers (Jericho), and save the Christian remnant (Rahab).
This entry was posted in and tagged blood of Christ, Canaan, circumcision, End of the World, Eucharist, foreskins, Jericho, Jordan River, Joshua, liturgical, manna, miraculous, passover, Promised Land, Rahab, scarlet cord, seven, shofar, the Church, three days, trumpet blasts, Unleavened Bread, Yeshua on October 3, 2018 by Brian.
Leviticus 23:
Feast Days / Festivals (Lev. 23):
Leviticus 23 deals with the Feast Days, Holy Days and the Festivals. From the Holiness Code, we move to time itself is holy. God's calendar follows a liturgical cycle of holiness marked by Sabbaths and Feast Days, much like the Catholic liturgical calendar does today. The first is the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week when no work could be done. A day of rest dedicated to the Lord. There is no Near Eastern equivalent to the Sabbath in other cultures or religions. It is unique to the Israelites. Sabbath is originally in Genesis associated with God's rest on the 7th day after creating everything. Now, here in Moses it is also associated with deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. Israel is made a "new creation" and can now rest from its bondage and servitude in Egypt. Next, Passover is the first Spring feast on the 14th of Nisan. Unleavened Bread is a 7-day festival associated with Passover, from 15th – 21st of Nisan. First Fruits is a harvest festival from 16th of Nisan or the first Sunday after the Passover Sabbath. Pentecost is the Grain Harvest Festival 7-weeks and one day (or, 50 days) after the First Fruits. The First Fall Festival begins with Rosh HaShanah, or New Year's Day. This is the Feast of Trumpets or "Yom Teruah" on 1 Tishri. This is followed by Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, on 10 Tishri. The final Fall Festival is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles ("Sukkot"). This is the final fall harvest festival from 15-22 Tishri. Many associate the Spring Feasts as prophetic announcements and fulfillments about Jesus' First Coming, already fulfilled. Similarly, the Fall Feasts are considered by many to be prophetic announcements of Jesus' Second Coming, yet to be fulfilled. Thus, the Passover was fulfilled in Jesus' death on the Cross. Unleavened Bread was fulfilled in the Eucharist and the Mass. The Jewish Pentecost was fulfilled in the Christian Pentecost with the Holy Spirit and the beginnings of the Church. The Fall Feasts will then be fulfilled the Feast of Trumpets (Jesus' Second Coming), the Day of Atonement (Final Judgment), and Tabernacles (a new heaven and new earth into eternity).
This entry was posted in and tagged Booths, Day of Atonement, Feast Days, Festivals, First Coming, First Fruits, Leviticus 23, passover, Pentecost, Rosh HaShanah, Sabbath, Second Coming, Sukkoth, Tabernacles, trumpets, Unleavened Bread, Yom Kippur on August 30, 2018 by Brian.
The German bishops are keeping at it. They are pushing the controversial agenda of intercommunion in certain instances for "mixed marriages" of Catholics with Protestant spouses. Accordingly, the German bishops published guidelines entitled: "Walking with Christ – tracing unity. Inter-denominational marriages and sharing the Eucharist." It was released even after Pope Francis had sent a letter, via Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) Archbishop Luis Ladaria, S.J. to Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German Bishop's Conference, in order to stop its publication. The guidelines argue that Protestant spouses should be allowed to receive the Eucharist, because it may cause "grave spiritual distress" to the spouse and the marriage if they are not permitted to do so. The German bishops plan to continue pushing the measure at the bishop's conference plenary assembly in September.
However, as Cardinal Gerhard Muller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has argued, interdenominational marriage "does not represent a situation of 'grave and pressing need.'" He further reflected: "Whoever wants to receive the sacramental Body and Blood of Christ must already be integrated into the body of Christ, which is the Church, through the confession of faith and sacramental baptism. Thus, there is no mystical, individualistic, and emotional communion with Christ that can thought of apart from baptism and the Church membership." This follows the guidelines of the Catechism: "Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, 'have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders.' It is for this reason that, for the Catholic Church, Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible." (CCC 1400) Or, in other words, only a person who is in full communion with the Catholic faith is permitted to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Then, there is the question of Canon Law 844, paragraph 4, which "provides for the giving of Holy Communion to a non-Catholic who has no access to his own minister and who manifests the Catholic faith, if he is in danger of death, or in the judgment of the Diocesan Bishop or Conference of Bishops, another grave necessity warrants it." The German bishops are using this as a kind of sacramental loophole. Yet, as Cardinal Raymond Burke points out, this exception is meant specifically for emergency, near-death situations. He recommends revising this paragraph, because of "its lack of clarity which has led to many contradictory practices in the matter of 'intercommunion.'"
There are other, older, antecedents found in scripture to this idea of intercommunion. The Book of Exodus sheds light on the present controversy regarding the Paschal mystery. After all, the Paschal mystery originated in Exodus, as a sketch of things to come. After the original Passover, the Israelites were permitted to leave Egypt. Yet, it was not just the Jews who departed but: "A mixed multitude also went up with them." (Ex. 12:38) Like the present controversy involving "mixed marriages," the Israelites came out of Egypt as a "mixed multitude," meaning they were not all practicing Jews. They were outside the Israelites' covenantal bonds with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was at the dramatic scene at Mount Sinai that the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were established as annual, obligatory feasts as part of the Covenant. Later, apparently, some of the non-Jews of the mixed multitude, in the midst of the Israelite congregation, wanted to partake also of the Passover lamb and Unleavened Bread – prefigurements to the Eucharist and the Mass. How would Yahweh respond?
Yahweh declares: "no foreigner shall eat of it." (Ex. 12:43) No foreigner, meaning no one outside of the covenantal seal, shall partake of it. If someone does want to partake in the Passover, Yahweh tells them to be "circumcised, then he may come near and keep it." That is, He tells them to become Jews and observe the commands of the Law, to worship God "as a native of the land." Basically, God tells the mixed multitude to convert and join the covenant. Only then, can they participate. God is adamant that there will be "one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you." Yahweh does not give allowance for anyone outside the covenantal relationship.
Yahweh further declares: "In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh outside the house." Just as none of the Passover meal should be eaten outside of the Jewish house, so too, the Eucharist should not be carried outside of the one holy Catholic Church. Even if one is baptized, the seal of the New Covenant (like circumcision in the Old), as Protestants are, the Eucharistic prerogative remains: it shall be eaten in one house, and none of its flesh shall be taken outside the house, that is, the faith of the Church. Communion should be given only to Catholics within the one Catholic Church.
This is the Fathers' interpretation too. St. Cyprian said of this verse: "The flesh of Christ and the holy thing of the Lord cannot be cast out. The faithful have no home but the one church." And: "The faith of the divine Scripture manifests that the church is not outside and that it cannot be rent in two or divided against itself, but that it holds the unity of an inseparable and invisible house. It is written concerning the rite of the Passover: "It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of its flesh outside the house." St. Jerome likewise wrote, "All such efforts are only of use when they are made within the church's pale. We must celebrate the Passover in the one house." In other words, St. Jerome confirms the parallelism of the Passover as the Mass, and the one house as the Catholic Church.
The prefiguring shadow of the Eucharist inundated the Israelites throughout their wilderness wanderings. God was not subtle with His symbology. When the Israelites were hungry in the Sinai wilderness, God rained down bread from heaven for them to eat for forty years. When the Israelites saw it, they said, "What is it?" And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat." Later, the Israelites murmured against God and Moses saying "we loathe this worthless food." In response, "the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died." If God punished such murmurings against perishable manna, how then can non-Catholics be allowed to partake in the new manna of the Holy Eucharist while deeming it "worthless food?"
In His Bread of Life discourse, the new Moses, Jesus, addressed directly a similar grumbling. He said: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever." Some of the disciples murmured against the Eucharist saying, "This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?" Yet, Jesus did not soften His speech, rather He declared more forcefully: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Jesus forced the issue: "Do you take offense at this?" His disciples had to decide whether it was "worthless food" or not. There is no middle ground to the Real Presence. Many could not accept it, for after this "many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him." It is immediately following this episode too, perhaps not coincidentally, that Judas is revealed as Jesus' betrayer. Indeed, the Real Presence is pivotal to the faith.
As Catholics receiving the Eucharist, we can answer the Israelites' question from the desert, "what is it?" with rather another question, "who" is it? We can affirm, "It is our Jesus." The psalmist wrote, "Man ate of the bread of the angels." If this was just a shadowy wisp of the reality to come, how much holier is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ in our new manna? How can the German bishops allow admittance to the Bread of Life by those who also deny it? As St. Paul addressed the gravity of this situation: "For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." Instead of catering to emotions and false-ecumenicalism, the German bishops should affirm the sacredness of the sacrament and invite them to a conversion of faith.
This entry was posted in Eucharist and tagged bread of life, Communion, Eucharist, exodus, German Bishops, Intercommunion, Mass, passover, Unleavened Bread on August 13, 2018 by Brian.
Exodus 12-15:
The Passover Ritual of the Sacrificed Lamb:
Yahweh prescribes the ritual for the Passover: on the tenth of the month of "Abib," later known by the Babylonian name of "Nisan," (this day, in the March-April timeframe, would now mark the beginning of the Jewish liturgical calendar) each family should procure a lamb, which "must be a year old male and without blemish." (Ex. 12:5) Yahweh is again instructing the Israelites to slaughter a god of the Egyptians, such as the ram-headed god Khnum. This may have played a role in the Israelites overcoming a psychological barrier to their liberation. By sacrificing one of the Egyptian gods (ie, a lamb), they psychologically prepared themselves to stand up against a collective 400 history of slave mentality. Each family should "take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs." (Ex. 12:7-8) The exodus covenant is sealed in blood.
Eat the Flesh of the Lamb:
"Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord's Passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (Ex. 12:11-13) The blood on the door is "a sign" for us, not God, to assure us that He will spare the Israelites despite the death happening all around them. The Bible states five times that they must "eat" the flesh of the lamb. The Passover ritual would not be complete until they ate the flesh of the lamb. So, it was not enough just to sacrifice the lamb, they also had to eat it entirely. This is a foreshadowing of Christians eating the flesh of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Prefiguring Christ, the Lamb of God:
The year-old male lamb without blemish to be sacrificed has obvious typological significance: It prefigures the Christ as the unblemished Lamb of God sacrificed for our redemption, and the lamb eaten at the Passover meal anticipates our eating the flesh of Christ in the Eucharist. Jesus celebrates and transforms the Passover ritual at the Last Supper, where the memorial meal becomes the new exodus from sin. Just as the Passover had led to the freeing of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and from the bondage of Pharaoh, so too would Christ's sacrifice free us from the bondage of the world and the devil's slavery to sin. The blood of the lamb was put on the doorpost as protection against the destroyer and death. So too, it is Jesus' blood that covers us and protects us from evil and death. Just as they ate the lamb, so too, do we eat the flesh of Christ in the sacrament of Communion. Through Christ's sacrifice of the Cross and the Eucharist, we passover from death into life in the new exodus to the eternal promised land. St. Paul uses this same paschal imagery too: "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Cor. 5:7)
Remembrance and Civilization Progress:
Yahweh tells them "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate.." (Ex. 12:14) The idea of remembrance is a very important one in the Torah. Thomas Cahill writes in his book The Gift of the Jewsthat the Jews were the first to break out of the cyclical worldview that dominated history, that is, nothing progresses scientifically, culturally, or morally. The Jews were the first to break out of this cycle. He writes, "The Jews were the first people to break out of this circle . . . It may be said with some justice that theirs is the only new idea that human beings had ever had."
Feast of Unleavened Bread:
"Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. . " (Ex. 12:15) The unleavened bread ("matzah") is a reminder of their hurried departure from Egypt. The bitter herbs are meant to remind them of the bitter bondage of slavery they endured, and from which, Yahweh freed them. Leaven is also symbolic of sins and evil influences that Israel must now remove from themselves. This is why Jesus warns the Jews with the same paschal imagery, "Beware of the leavenof the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (Lk. 12:1) Leavening is a process of fermentation of dough, which chemically breaks down and degrades the substance. It is a form of decay and decomposition. Symbolically, it represents sin and death. The number seven echoes the seven days of creation, as the Israelites pass over in the exodus into a new world. Yahweh is deadly serious that the Jews must observe the seven days of unleavened bread or they "shall be cut off from Israel." The Feast of Unleavened Bread was intertwined with the Passover meal, just as the sacrifice of Christ became one with the bread of the Eucharist. The unleavened bread clearly denotes the Blessed Sacrament, which Christ transformed into His very own Body and Blood.
Death of the First-Borns:
"Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle." (Ex. 12:29) "There was not a house without its dead." (v.30) This could also serve as a means of despoiling the Egyptians (who adhered to the firstborn primogeniture laws) of their priestly class and proper sacrifices. At last, Pharaoh and the Egyptians have finally had enough. Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron, and demands them "Leave my people at once, you and the Israelites with you!" (Ex. 12:31) The Lord also made the Egyptians well disposed to give the Israelites "whatever they asked for." (v.36)
The Departure from Egypt:
The Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years. "Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children." (Ex. 12:37) This was a crowd of mixed ancestry, so not just Jewish Israelites. There may well have been up to 1-2 million+ men, women and children total departing from Egypt. The dough they brought out of Egypt was not leavened, so "they baked it into unleavened loaves." (Ex. 12:39)
The Passover Regulations:
The Lord then lays down His regulations for partaking in it. "No foreigner may partake of it." "No transient alien or hired servant may partake of it." Anyone who wishes to join in the observance of it "must first be circumcised, and then they may join in its observance just like the natives." (Ex. 12:48) This is no ordinary meal. This is a covenantal ritual. Only those circumcised into the covenantal relationship with Yahweh may partake of it and eat of the flesh of the lamb. This is the same in our Catholic Church. You must be baptized and initiated into the Catholic faith in order to partake of the Mass and holy Eucharist. You must be brought into the sacramental Catholic fold in order to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Lamb of God. It is not surprising then that Yahweh instructs them "you may not take any of its flesh outside the house." (Ex. 12:46) So too, we are not to offer the Eucharist outside the house of God or the Catholic community of believers.
Not Break Any Bones:
Next, Yahweh tells them, "You shall not break any of its bones." (v.47) This, of course, is directly applicable to Christ on the Cross showing Him to be a prophetic type of paschal lamb. St. John tells us: "but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.. . For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken." (Jn.19:36) Contrary to typical Roman crucifixion practices of breaking the bones of the condemned (in order that they may die more quickly), the Roman soldiers do not break Jesus' bones.
Paschal Lambs "Crucified":
Later, sacrificial Paschal lambs were in a manner of speaking "crucified." According to the Mishnah, at the time of the Temple, after killing the lamb, the Jews would pierce it with "thin smooth staves" of wood through the shoulders in order to hand and skin it. In addition, a second skewer of wood was thrust "from its mouth to it buttocks." The two beams of wood then would form a cross shape, upon which the lamb was hung. A second century Christian, St. Justin Martyr, describes the same thing. He wrote: "For the lamb, which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up in the form of a cross. For one spit is transfixed right through from the lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached the legs of the lamb." (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, 40) One can imagine the crucifixion of thousands of lambs across Jerusalem each year at the time of the Passover feast; thus, preparing the Jewish mind to accept the reality of the crucified Christ as the ultimate and final sacrifice.
Consecration of the Firstborns:
The Lord then instructs Moses to consecrate to Him "every first-born" of "both man and beast, for it belongs to me." (Ex. 13:1) This means to set apart for the service of divine worship. The eldest sons and animals of Israel belong to Yahweh because He spared them in the tenth plague of His passing over Egypt. The firstborn sons likely would be brought into sacred and priestly ministry, while the firstborn animals are kept for religious sacrifice. Note: Later, in Num. 3:12 and 8:14-18, the Levites are chosen as substitutes for every firstborn son consecrated to God. The change occurs after the golden calf rebellion at Mt. Sinai. The tribe of Levi ordained itself "for the service of the Lord" after the apostasy and idolatry of worshipping the golden calf. Firstborn sons, thereafter, have to be redeemed or brought back into the liturgical ministry at the price of five shekels. (Num. 18:15-16)
Phylacteries:
The Lord tells Moses: "It shall be a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead." (Ex. 13:9) This is what inspired the Jewish practice of wearing the small leather boxes containing Scripture verses, phylacteries or tefillin, to their left arm and forehead during prayer. This is also described in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. This was probably meant figuratively, although later generations took it literally as well. The phylactery contains the Shema prayer (Deut. 6:4): "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one." The prayer, quoted by Jesus (Mk. 12:30), continues: "Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." "Jesus later criticized the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, who "do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments." (Mt. 23:5)
The Mark of the Beast:
It is interesting to note that in this monotheistic declaration in worship of Yahweh bound to their foreheads and hand, is later mocked and mimicked by the Antichrist with the mark of the beast. The Book of Revelation reveals that anyone who "worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand . ." (Rev. 14:9) The Holy Spirit seals us on our heads, and Satan, in his demonic counterfeit seals, and condemns, his followers with a mark on either their forehead or right hand.
Diversion into the Wilderness of the Sinai:
God could have led the Israelites directly into Canaan and the land where the Philistines dwelt. However, "God did not lead them by way of the Philistines' land, though this was the nearest; for He thought, should the people see that they would have to fight, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (Ex. 13:17) The Egyptians patrolled this area in north Sinai with a series of military forts. So instead, God led them south from Ramses and Pithom to Succoth towards the desert along the way of the Red Sea. Again, the Israelites are leaving not as slaves but as a conquering army. "In battle array the Israelites marched out of Egypt." (v.18) They also brought Joseph's bones along with them to bring back to Israel.
A Column of Cloud by Day and a Pillar of Fire by Night:
"The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night." (Ex. 13:21) The column of cloud and the pillar of fire never left its place in front of the people. Yahweh marches at the head of the Israelites. It is God's preternatural power and manifestation of His holy presence. Isaiah wrote of it as "He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them." (Is. 63:11) St. Ambrose wrote the fire designated Jesus Christ and the cloud the Holy Spirit. The cloud foreshadows Baptism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who cools our passions. St. Paul in writing to the Corinthians said, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;" (1 Cor. 10:1-2)
Yahweh the Warrior:
Pharaoh remained obstinate and changed his mind exclaiming, "What have we done!" With that, "Pharaoh's whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon." (Ex. 14:9) Pharaoh came back for revenge and vengeance upon Moses and Israel. Just then the Israelites look up and see the Egyptians, and become terrified. They complain bitterly to Moses, "Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert." (Ex. 14:12) Moses answered them: "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent." (v.13-14) Yahweh is the divine warrior ready to fight for Israel. Then, Yahweh does some defensive battle maneuvers to guard the rear. The angel of God, who had been leading the Israelites, now moved behind them. This angel is the one who mediates and manifests God's presence to the world. The column of cloud also left the front and went behind them. Thus, they stood in between the Egyptian camp and the Israelites; blocking the Egyptians and protecting the Israelites.
The Miraculous Crossing of the Red Sea:
"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left." (Ex. 14:21-22) This is undoubtedly a miraculous event, and not simply a freak natural phenomenon. It is perhaps the greatest miraculous event recorded in the Exodus and the Old Testament. Yahweh is manifesting His divine power and delivering His people Israel with powerful miracles and wondrous signs. The Israelites march through as with a "wall of water" to the left and to the right. The Israelites passed through the water as on dry land. Soon, the Pharaoh and the Egyptian army were in hot pursuit through the midst of the water. The Lord cast "a glance" through the fiery cloud that threw the Egyptians into a "panic" and they "sounded the retreat." (v.24) "For the Lord was fighting for them against the Egyptians." Yahweh then tells Moses to stretch out his hand again over the sea, and "at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth." (v.27) Pharaoh and the charioteers were caught in it and drowned. "Not a single one of them escaped." (v.28) "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses." (Ex. 14:30-31) This is Yahweh's mightiest act of deliverance for Israel and is frequently called as such in the Old Testament (Ps. 66:6; 106:9; Is. 51:10; 63:11-13)
Allegorical Baptism of the Red Sea:
The crossing of the waters of the Red Sea is a type of Baptism. The people of God are brought out of bondage and slavery by being baptized in the waters of the Red Sea to free them from the oppressive Egyptians. Similarly, Christians are Baptized in the sacramental water and made free of the stains of original sin. We cross over into a new life in Christ. St. Paul made the same allusions too: "and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." (1 Cor. 10:2) The Egyptians were the stain of sin that the waters removed from the chosen people, Israel. The waters of Baptism end the control of the devil in our lives and put to death our enmity with God. We reemerge on the other side with a new faith and a new life.
Moses' Hymn to the Lord as a Warrior:
Moses sings a song to Yahweh, a victory hymn honoring the Mighty Lord. In verse 2, he says the Lord is my "savior;" in verse 3, "The Lord is a warrior." (Ex. 15:3) In verse 13, "redeemer." Moses mocks the gods of Egypt again saying "Who is like to you among the gods, O Lord?" (v.11) Pharaoh and his charioteers "sank into the depths like a stone." (v. 5) There are similar visions of the wicked sinking like stones in the sea (Jer. 51:63-64; Lk. 17:2). This also is a foreshadowing of the future destruction of the antichrist's kingdom of "Babylon." "A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone and threw it into the sea." (Rev. 18:21) The second half of the hymn is directed at future conquests over Canaan, the Philistines, Edom, and Moab. Nations will tremble before the warpath of Yahweh. The prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, takes a tambourine and leads the women in dancing and praising God. She represents a type of the Church, leading the faithful in songs of divine praise.
Bitter Water at Marah:
Moses then leads them from the Red Sea for three days through the desert without finding any water. They arrive at Marah, where the people grumbled again (already) that the water was "bitter." (Ex. 15:23) The Exodus generation is infamous for their "murmuring" and "grumbling" against God and Moses. Years later, Moses will look back at them as "a perverse and crooked generation." (Deut. 32:5) This, however, is the first of their crises, a lack of drinking water. Each crisis highlights their precarious situation in the desert and their reliance on Yahweh's providential care. The Lord then pointed out to Moses a "certain piece of wood. When he threw this into the water, the water became fresh." (Ex. 15:25) The waters of Marah are made fresh by the wood. Tertullian pointed out that this is a prefigurement of the wood of the Cross of Christ making holy and life-giving the waters of Baptism. (Tertullian, On Baptism, 9)
Oasis at Elim:
At long last, the Israelites come to Elim, "where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water." (Ex. 15:27) This oasis had plenty of shade and water for the weary Israelites. This location is still a dramatic oasis in the desert today with water and palm trees.
This entry was posted in and tagged Elim, Eucharist, exodus, first-borns, lamb, lamb of God, Marah, mark of the beast, paschal, passover, Pharaoh, phylacteries, Red Sea, unleaven, Unleavened Bread, Warrior, Yahweh on May 22, 2018 by Brian.


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Best Practices In Issue Management
Crossbow has influenced public opinion and public policy around the world for more than 30 years. We have experience in numerous industries and we have worked with corporations, NGOs and nonprofits to help build their brands, bottom lines and a better world. Below are just a few examples of our solutions to critical stakeholder issues.
Medicaid Reform
We helped Colorado's community mental health system and other stakeholders convince the Colorado Legislature to approve a statewide Medicaid capitation system, which improved access to services, improved outcomes, and saved taxpayers millions of dollars per year.
The Challenge: Opponents to the new system claimed that Medicaid capitation would force providers to deny services to existing consumers and new consumers to avoid depleting their annual budgets under such a system.
The Solution: To overcome this objection, we enlisted the support of CBS journalist Mike Wallace and Colorado's Governor Romer to appear in a series of public service announcements that promoted a toll-free number and access to the state's community mental health system. We launched an aggressive media relations campaign that helped educate taxpayers and stakeholders about Colorado's community mental health system, including the needs of patients and the clinics.
The Result: The public relations campaign generated more than $1 million in media coverage and free publicity which helped convince the state legislature that access to services would not be an issue under a revised system. The legislature approved the proposed Medicaid reforms. As a result, a record number of consumers have received services and millions of dollars have been saved and spent more productively. The effort earned state and national awards for its resourceful and creative advocacy.
Members of our team helped the Hemlock Society defeat a legislative attempt in Washington, DC that aimed to outlaw physician-assisted suicide in every state. While challenging this proposed policy, we helped position the Hemlock Society as the voice of reason and a leading advocate for patient rights and death with dignity.
The Challenge: The issue of physician-assisted suicide is a controversial one. Although surveys in 1998 showed that a majority of people supported the issue in most states, visible public support and public policy for this patient right were difficult to generate at the time. The Hemlock Society and other advocates for physician-assisted suicide gained momentum when voters in Oregon approved such a right. Under the law, terminally ill patients who met numerous conditions had the option to end their life with the help of a physician. In 1998, a senator from Illinois introduced legislation that would outlaw this right in Oregon and prevent its passage in other states in the future. Passage would make it even more difficult for physicians to manage the pain of terminally ill patients and it would eliminate personal choice in this matter.
The Solution: Within days of earning the assignment, an unexpected event raised the profile of this important issue. Dr. Jack Kevorkian delivered a tape to CBS news that showed him helping a man end his life. Unlike his prior involvement in such matters, Kevorkian actually delivered the lethal drugs himself and didn't require the patient to take control of the act. Kevorkian deliberately crossed the line to force the courts to make a ruling. Mike Wallace and the news team at 60 Minutes agreed to air the segment the following Sunday. With just four days to work with, we launched an aggressive media campaign to position the Hemlock Society as an expert resource and the voice of reason on this complex issue. We contacted the news team at 60 Minutes and offered the Hemlock Society as a resource for additional information.
The Result: In just one week, the campaign generated more 125 media placements around the world, including television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Newsweek, Time, USA Today, Good Morning America, and many other news organizations featured interviews from the Hemlock Society. The coverage built awareness, understanding, and support for the issue of physician-assisted suicide. Shortly thereafter, the proposed legislation to outlaw physician-assisted suicide stalled in committee hearings.
Tropical Timber
Background: The relationship between economic development and environmental degradation became a high-profile issue in 1972, at the United Nations (UN) Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. After contentious accusations and debates, the governing body proceeded to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote environmental protection. In 1983, the UN established the World Commission on Environment and Development to accelerate international cooperation. The new Commission developed an alarming report for the UN General Assembly in 1987, which sparked the creation of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). UNCED scheduled the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992. International representatives, including many heads of state, convened and developed three key agreements:
Agenda 21, which began promoting sustainable development around the world;
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which defined the rights and responsibilities of nations;
The Statement of Forest Principles, which outlined the sustainable management of forests worldwide. These non–binding principles defined the sustainable management of forests and generated the first global consensus on the issue.
The Challenge: The Anti-Tropical Timber Campaign. After the Earth Summit, several European nations considered bans on all tropical timber and related products to curb rainforest destruction. In September 1992, Austria initiated a regulation that required labels on all tropical timber imports and it imposed a stiff import tariff of 70 percent on such products. Tropical-wood exporters, including Indonesia, protested Austria's unilateral decision to create this misguided eco-labeling law. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took their protest to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT). At the time, Malaysia and Indonesia were leading exporters of tropical timber. If Austria's labeling campaign gained traction in other countries, these developing tropical nations would lose jobs and foreign capital. Without change, they were losing biodiversity. Meanwhile, some of the ASEAN Ministers claimed that developed nations covertly backed the campaign to promote temperate timber by creating trade barriers against tropical hardwoods.
The Solution: The Global Forestry Conference. The Indonesian government and forestry producers were under siege. They scrambled to correct misinformation with facts and best practices. Like most countries, Indonesia has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of natural resource development. Unfortunately, it's success stories were suddenly overshadowed by its mistakes and the destructive acts of illegal loggers and slash-and-burn farmers. As the caretaker of the second-largest rainforest in the world, Indonesia deserved a place in the global debate. Crossbow Communications saw an opportunity for Indonesia to create a showcase for the world. Our team suggested that Indonesia host a follow-up meeting to the Earth Summit to specifically discuss the Statement of Forest Principles developed in Rio. Thanks to support from top corners of Indonesian government and global sponsors, including the U.S. Forestry Service, Texaco, the Indonesian Cultural Foundation and the Indonesian Forestry Commission, Indonesia scheduled the Global Forestry Conference in Bandung, Java, in 1993—just eight months after the Earth Summit sparked the latest controversy around tropical timber products. Crossbow's team helped develop and promote the program. We helped recruit panelists, attendees and media representatives from around the globe.
The Result: The Bandung Initiative. The Global Forestry Conference created an international showcase for Indonesia's success stories, while isolating critical issues for discussion and prioritization. Government officials, industry leaders, academic experts and nongovernmental groups from both rich and poor nations participated. After one week of strategic tours, presentations and one-on-one meetings, Indonesian officials and executives built hundreds of relationships with leaders and influencers from around the globe. The conference shaped new perceptions that had previously been formed in offices thousands of miles away. As a result, leaders crafted the Bandung Initiative for Global Partnership in Sustainable Forest Development. The Initiative called on world leaders, the Secretary General of the United Nations and other agencies to immediately strengthen global partnerships to advance sustainable forestry management. It asked the UN to make forestry the highest priority. It urged all nations to manage forests with the same standards and to lift bans on most tropical timber. Meanwhile, Indonesia confirmed its commitment to ITTO and sustainable forestry. The media entourage simultaneously generated hundreds of international media placements from the Forestry Conference. As hoped, news coverage was strong and very positive for Indonesia's forestry practices and products, especially from Germany (a key influencer to Austria and Europe as a whole). The Conference positioned the Indonesian government and forest concessionaires as leaders and responsible partners in sustainable forestry. It helped emphasize the threat of illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture and promoted the need to combat those practices globally. Most importantly, Austria rescinded its misguided eco-labeling law and threats of a full-blown trade war ceased.
Members of our team helped Newmont Mining secure public acceptance and regulatory approval for a unique remediation plan for historic mining properties in Southwest Colorado.
The Challenge: Newmont Mining purchased several historic mining properties in Southwest Colorado in the 1980s. It also inherited liability for thousands of tons of historic mine waste near the high visibility tourist areas of Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride. The on-site waste remediation plan was approved on a trial basis, which effectively protected water quality in the San Juan Basin. The trial remediation plan secured permanent approval, which saved the company millions of dollars on waste removal and disposal.
The Solution: Newmont Mining's team of environmental engineers pioneered a new cap composed of special vegetation, rock, and clay to cover massive mounds of mine tailings that were leaching acid into nearby groundwater, rivers and streams for decades. The caps were designed to eliminate surface water from contacting the acidic mine waste, which would effectively protect water quality in the area. Our team helped position the plan as the most environmentally responsible way to deal with historic mining waste, which also would safeguard human health. We developed a stakeholder communication plan to engage leaders and residents of impacted communities in the watershed areas. The problem and the proposed solution were explained in detail. In addition, the pros and cons of all alternative remediation options also were unveiled. The proposed plan was positioned as the most immediate and effective way to handle the challenge. It also was positioned as the least disruptive alternative to the peaceful way of life in these tourist communities. However, if future water monitoring revealed that the caps were not effective, the company committed to remove the caps and the waste.
The Result: The engineering design earned tremendous support from stakeholders. Regulatory approval followed quickly. The caps were installed, complete with monitoring wells throughout the area. Our team developed interpretive signage to help visitors to the area and understand the importance of the project and the significance of the historic mining district. Ongoing monitoring proved that the caps worked to eliminate water from contacting the mine waste, which eliminated acidic runoff into streams and rivers. State regulators approved the remediation plan permanently.
Community Mental Health
Schizophrenia is one of the most devastating mental health conditions. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It typically strikes people during their young adult years. Treatment is usually lifelong and often involves a combination of medications, psychotherapy and coordinated specialty care services.
In 2000, Jefferson Center For Mental Health asked us to produce a documentary about individuals and families impacted by this disorder. It's called Voices Of Courage. The documentary aired on PBS and helped build awareness and understanding about the issue.
Educators across the United States are finding new ways to bridge the communication gaps that often exist among themselves, parents, and other community members. As a result, entire communities are coming together to build safe, seamless, and supportive learning environments for youth. In 2003, the MetLife Foundation and the National Civic League created the Ambassadors in Education Award program to recognize public middle and high school educators who work to strengthen their schools and their surrounding communities by building relationships among all stakeholders.
The Challenge: The two most influential forces in a child's development are the family and the school. Children thrive academically when the family and the school agree that they are stronger together than apart. Unfortunately, many principals and teachers feel unprepared to engage families in the educational improvement process. In fact, 70 percent of teachers surveyed in a 2002 study by the MetLife Foundation felt that relationships with parents were too adversarial.
The readiness of the next generation of leaders is a critical component of a healthy community. High school dropouts and graduates unprepared for college or work can fuel an increased unemployment rate, reduced business development opportunities, higher cost associated with crime and incarceration, reduced disposable income among residents, reduced tax base for community services, and greater costs for human service agencies. Despite these negative impacts, many public schools across the United States are struggling with record enrollments that could surpass fifty-four million students by 2008. Although teachers, administrators, and policymakers are largely responsible for the quality of education, no school can single-handedly increase student achievement, reduce the dropout rate, solve the teacher shortage, or ensure that students are ready to learn. A successful educational environment integrates the efforts of families, schools, and a variety of institutions within the community. Many schools and communities understand this philosophy, but developing successful working relationships among stakeholders is often challenging.
There is a growing recognition among educators that better partnerships between community-based organizations need to be established, but as winners of the Ambassador in Education Award have learned, school-community relationships are not easy to develop and sustain. Educators can be so overwhelmed with the demands of accountability that they don't recognize how community members can help. Meanwhile, community builders often do not understand the education system they hope to help, or the magnitude of the challenge. Such differences lead to friction that can make it difficult for community-building organizations and schools to work together. As educators know, basic issues arise from differences in organizational size, structure, and staffing between schools and community organizations. Community builders can find the school bureaucracy frustrating, while their lack of knowledge about the educational process may frustrate educators. As suggested by both research and practice, schools have the opportunity to change how communities support the educational system and process. The Ambassadors in Education Award program has highlighted many instance of educators developing productive relationships with community members and organizations.
"Aligning the school and community is a difficult task when there has been a practice of isolation by the various stakeholders," said Albert Holland, principal of Boston's Health Careers Academy. "Getting started is the toughest step, especially when you're overwhelmed by the demands from the school district or state. However, having a strategic planning process is a key to involving all key stakeholders, which starts with your students, parents, staff, and partners. "Involving and listening to all the stakeholders is important, and coming up with an engagement process and plan must be inclusive, and you must take the lead," said Holland. "It is critical to work as well as to communicate with parents and community not only as stakeholders but also as teachers. Our children not only learn at school but they learn at home and in their communities." Gregory Vallone, the former principal at James Monroe High School in Los Angeles, fostered partnerships with schools, community organizations, and area businesses. As a result, school-to-career programs in nursing, culinary arts, robotics, animation, and film production have been created or expanded. He also developed the school's University Preparatory Program, which brings rigorous math and science instruction, links to the business community, and connections to California State Northridge, to help students attend college. Under his direction, the school also established relationships with Whole Foods Markets and One Service Center to help the students and educators at the school develop healthier eating habits.
The Solution: In many cases, it's up to educators to initiate, influence, and manage all of these relationships to make them supportive and productive. Schools that improve the quality of their partnership programs often report that fewer students are sent to the principal, earn detention, or receive in-school suspensions. These findings suggest that schools' overall efforts to improve relationships with families and the community may help improve students' behavior in school. Educators have discovered a variety of practices that can improve teacher-parent communications and increase family involvement in learning activities. It can be as simple as letting parents know how and when to contact teachers. Other practices include issuing progress reports to parents between report cards, conducting workshops on academic topics, outlining school expectations, and inviting parents to assemblies that celebrate achievement. It is important for educators to consider the culture, language, and diverse needs and strengths of families to support their children's education. Once educators develop relationships and trust among parents, they are more likely to get parents involved in the education process. Practices that encourage parent student interaction at home are often associated with a gain in the percentage of students scoring at the satisfactory proficiency level or higher—for example, assigning homework that involves families or offering lending libraries with related materials for families and students to use at home. The Ambassadors in Education Award recognizes public middle and high school educators who work to strengthen their schools and their surrounding communities by building relationships among all stakeholders.
"We have found that families and members of the community want to be involved in the school," said Kenneth Hunter, the principal at Prosser Career Academy in Chicago. "The challenge for the school is to develop meaningful and mutually beneficial interactions between the school, families, and the community." Schools must establish the tone and context for productive home-school partnerships by meeting families more than halfway. Educators need to convey goals, philosophies, and policies that integrate parents' perspectives and skills into school life. School efforts to promote family and community engagement will succeed only if educators are adequately prepared to support them. When schools successfully engage parents and guardians in the educational process, there are often positive effects on grades, courses completed, attendance, good behavior, and preparedness for class. Plus, these activities continue to reinforce the relationship between educators and families. "Parents can be our greatest allies or our worst enemies," said Phyllis Turner, a teacher at Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory School in Atlanta. "Most importantly, parents can offer insight that teachers can't get from a college textbook. They also can offer us assistance and support that no one else can provide."
As suggested by both research and practice, schools have the opportunity to change the way that communities support the educational system and process. The Ambassadors in Education Award program has highlighted many instance of educators developing productive relationships with community members and community organizations. Richard McClure is a former principal at Mauldin High School, Greenville, South Carolina, who conducted focus groups with parents and other stakeholders to identify problems and opportunities within the school. With the help of a steering committee, he founded Bridging the Gap, an effort that included minority parents, staff, and community members. Two Sunday meetings were held for the parents of minority students. Child care and transportation were provided to allow as many parents as possible to attend these important meetings.
McClure listened to their concerns during monthly meetings and recorded the information for use in implementing the program. His efforts improved relationships with parents and academic performance by students. "I wanted to know if the school could more effectively meet the academic needs of their children," explained McClure. "Ultimately, my goal was to better serve minority students. I wanted to make certain that minority parents had access to adequate information upon which they could plan for the academic futures of their children. This included providing performance data, available school services, career information, how the scheduling process worked, the structure and implication of curriculum choices, and the financial requirements of postsecondary education." The dialogue between the parents and school personnel enhanced relationships, improved confidence in the school, and created an atmosphere of openness that was lacking before, said McClure.
"Communications are fundamental to building trust, which underlies the strength of any relationship," he said. Thomas Cason, principal of Soldan International Studies High School in St. Louis, made regular visits to the homes of some students who needed support in achieving academic, social, or personal goals. "Visiting their homes is one way for me to learn more about them and a way to get parents more involved in their child's education," he said. "In the majority of circumstances, I have found home visits to be very helpful and productive when the intent is to improve relationships and show parents and students that I care. One must make sure that parents and students understand that home visits by the principal are not a consequence for negative student behavior but rather a genuine effort to support the student over the long term."
Some of these visits have taken Cason to areas of the city that are considered dangerous. He found that even in the roughest housing projects students looked out for his property and personal safety once they knew the purpose of his visit.
"They are usually surprised that I would embark on an endeavor such as this, but they usually applaud my efforts," he said. "I have data on each student and parents are very receptive to my visit. From time to time a student may feel uncomfortable knowing that I am aware of his or her living conditions. However, this uneasiness soon subsides when we begin to focus on the relationship that we've already established. I would not suggest that all principals make home visits. However, I believe that making home visits has made me a better principal."
Phyllis Turner organized workshops for parents to improve their life skills. She also established parent involvement initiatives and met monthly with representatives from the local housing authority, residents association, housing project board, and Emory University to plan those outreach strategies. In 2001, Turner was charged with writing and implementing the school's first parental involvement plan. Teachers were required to call each student's parents within the first two weeks of school, followed by a weekly call to parents of students who were not progressing. Parents were given the opportunity to volunteer as daily greeters, hallway and cafeteria monitors, school switchboard operators, clerical workers, and chaperones. Parents also participated in training workshops and offered input by serving on the parent involvement committee. Turner felt the effort was successful when parents took charge of the annual teacher appreciation celebration, furnishing gifts and a continental breakfast. As these award-winning examples illustrate, educators can overcome non-supportive adversarial relationships with families. Although these relationships can be challenging at first, they pay dividends to all stakeholders. Schools and homes that share perspectives, resources, goals, information, and the task of teaching give children the stability, consistency, and encouragement necessary for greater academic success. Schools and families that work together can build the developmental assets available to youth, which makes the educational process more efficient and effective.
The Benefits: To realize the benefits of community collaboration, teachers and principals need to understand all stakeholder groups in the community, including families, businesses, nonprofit organizations and human service agencies. This is where many relationships between educators and community members have failed in the past. The challenges, opportunities, and resources available to solve educational problems are unique to each community. However, when educators, parents, and community stakeholders work collaboratively. It's often up to educators to initiate and develop productive relationships with families and other stakeholders in the educational process. Once these relationships are built, however, they can improve student behavior and academic performance. These relationships also help the school give back to the community through increased volunteerism and resource sharing. The more developmental assets available to youth, the better the educational outcomes for all. It takes gifted and dedicated educators to step forward and initiate relationships with parents and community members.
As the Ambassadors in Education Award program demonstrates, America's public schools are blessed with some great educators and leaders. Schools and entire communities need to recognize these leaders and encourage them to continue their great work, while inspiring others to follow their examples. "The community of a school starts with parents, and then includes the immediate community, and is followed by the extended community—the agencies and institutions that play a role in the educational process of our children," said Albert Holland. "We must come together to educate, nurture, and instill in our students a sense of community. I consider the children I educate as my own children and I want no less for them than I want for my own children." Crossbow developed the Ambassadors In Education Award for the National Civic League and MetLife Foundation. Our team supervised the program during its first five years in 30 of the largest school districts in the United States. National Civic Review AIE Article

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(VIDEO) "Long Way From Where We Used To Be": Mike Rowe Troubled By America's Political Divide
Mike Rowe, host of the Facebook series Returning the Favor, is troubled by how divided our country has become.
The Former Star of "Dirty Jobs" has fans on both sides of the aisle and tends to anger them all. Especially when he goes on TV shows hosted by someone they disagree with politically.
On Thursday's show, Rowe told Tom Shillue he yearned for the days when you could get along with people you disagreed with. Today, many Americans feel obligated to 'ostracize' anyone who they may see as a political rival.
Rowe, who is simply trying to use his show to promote America's hardest working Americans, explains to Tom how he tries to the walk the line in our our highly divided times.
PLUS: Mike Rowe and Tom Shillue discuss why they both decided to get in to show business: meet women.
FULL INTERVIEW HERE:


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2016 CCP Conferences
2011 CCP Activities
Sentencing, Policies and Practices
International Incarceration Comparisons
Race and Ethnicity in US Penal System
The Prison Industrial Complex
Correctional Education & The School-to-Prison Pipeline
Trials and Punishment
Poverty, Wealth & Incarceration
Events: Monthly Discussions on Prison and COVID-19
Voting Rights Restored for Former Prisoners in Midterm Election
Felon Disenfranchisement
Prison Reform News
Major Sentencing Reform in Massachusetts
Poverty in Black Boston: Public Town Hall Discussion and Seminar
Prison Chaplaincy
Prison Chaplains & COVID Vaccination
Prison Chaplains and Prison Climates
Newsletter: Prison Chaplains
Break the Circle
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Update: COVID-19 Prisoner Deaths
Coronavirus and the Prison Population
Prisons: United Kingdom
Prisons & COVID: England & Wales
Prisons & COVID: Scotland
Prisons & COVID: Northern Ireland
Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic & the Prison Population
Public health officials, the CDC, and WHO have explained the importance of social distancing, isolation, and quarantine in order to "flatten the curve" of the COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic. Unfortunately, the fact that local jails and prisons are "amplifiers of infectious diseases" is often left out of virus planning, so we — and others — have been calling for urgent action.
There are many possible actions to protect the most vulnerable in the criminal justice system and to stop the excesses of our criminal justice system from undermining efforts to control the pandemic. On March 6, we published No need to wait for pandemics: The public health case for criminal justice reform with 5 policy ideas, and The Justice Collaborative is tracking, in a comprehensive spreadsheet, national, state and local level demands for reform.
The response is still too slow, but some state and local governments are starting to take action. To help advocates, journalists, and policy makers see what positive action could look like, we are curating examples of actions taken to slow the spread of the disease in prisons, in jails, and among people on probation or parole.
Release people from jails and prisons
We already know that jails and prisons house large numbers of people with chronic diseases and complex medical needs who are more vulnerable to COVID-19, and one of the best ways to protect these people is to reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities. Some jails are already making these changes:
In San Francisco, California, the district attorney directed prosecutors to not oppose motions to release pretrial detainees facing misdemeanor or drug-related felony charges. The D.A. also encouraged prosecutors to "strongly consider" credit for time served in plea deals to increase jail releases. (March 11)
Ohio courts in Cuyahoga County and Hamilton County have begun to issue court orders and conduct special hearings to increase the number of people released from local jails. On a single day, judges released 38 people from the Cuyahoga County Jail, and they hope to release at least 200 more people charged with low-level, non-violent crimes. (March 14 and March 16)
In Los Angeles County, California, the Sheriff reported releasing more than 600 people to mitigate the risk of virus transmission in crowded jails. (March 16)
In Travis County, Texas, judges have begun to release more people from local jails on personal bonds (about 50% more often than usual), focusing on preventing people with health issues who are charged with non-violent offenses from going into the jail system. (March 16)
In Boulder, Colorado, the district attorney's office has recommended the release of some inmates who have less than 45 days left in their sentence and those being held pretrial because they are unable to post bond. (March 16)
Reduce jail admissions
Lowering jail admissions reduces "jail churn" — the rapid movement of people in and out of jails — and will allow the facility's total population to drop very quickly.
In Bexar County, Texas, Sheriff Javier Salazar released a COVID-19 mitigation plan that includes encouraging the use of cite and release and "filing non-violent offenses at large," rather than locking more people up during this pandemic. (March 14)
In Los Angeles County, California, the police department has reportedly reduced arrests from an average of about 300 per day to 60 per day by utilizing citations rather than booking people, in an effort to reduce jail admissions. (March 16)
In Denver, Colorado, police officers are issuing summons rather than arresting people suspected of low-level, non-violent property and drug crimes. (March 16)
The police commissioner of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has directed police to delay arrests for nonviolent crimes, including drug offenses and theft. (March 17)
Maine vacated all outstanding bench warrants (for over 12,000 people) for unpaid court fines and fees and for failure to appear for hearings in an effort to reduce jail admissions. (March 17)
Reduce unnecessary contact, visits to crowded offices, and technical violations for people on parole and probation
Limiting unnecessary check-ins and visits to offices for people on parole, probation, or on registries will reduce the risk of viral transmission. We don't (yet) know of many recent reforms in this area, but there is an important letter from current and former probation and parole executives saying what must be done to promote social distancing and continuing to support people under supervision. So far, the one notable example we have found is:
The California Department of Adult Parole Operations has reduced the number of required check-ins to protect staff and the supervised population by suspending office visits for people 65 and older, and those with chronic medical conditions. (March 17)
Death Penalty, Life With & Without Parole
The War on Drugs & Drug Policies
"Nuggets from the Night: An Anthology of Poetic Expressions"
"Nuggets from the Night: An Anthology of Poetic Expressions
Locked Up and Locked Down
Locked Up and Locked Down: Multitude Lingers in Limbo is an existential account of mass incarceration in the United States criminal justice system.
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