On Friday of the First Week of Lent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Exodus (12:21-36) entitled "The plague inflicted on the firstborn". Our treasure, which follows, is from The Mirror of Love by Saint Aelred, abbot.
Saint Aelred, a twelfth century English Cistercian monk, was a writer, historian, and outstanding abbot who influenced monasticism in medieval England, Scotland, and France. He is venerated by the Catholic Church as a saint and by some Anglicans.
Saint Aelred of Rievaulx possessed a personal charm which drew friends and disciples naturally to him. His own experience of human weakness in a worldly life at the court of King David of Scotland made him sensitive to the doctrine of charity which he found among Cistercian monks.
Saint Aelred of Rievaulx possessed a personal charm which drew friends and disciples naturally to him. His own experience of human weakness in a worldly life at the court of King David of Scotland made him sensitive to the doctrine of charity which he found among Cistercian monks.
Saint Aelred's Mirror of Love is fundamentally a meditation on the nature, origin, and fulfillment of love. Its central message is that true love begins in God, is shaped by God, and ultimately leads back to God.
Saint Aelred presents love not merely as an emotion, but as the very structure of the Christian life. Human beings are created out of divine love, and therefore the restless desires of the human heart can only find lasting peace when ordered toward God. Love of God is not opposed to love of others; rather, it purifies and elevates it. When properly understood, love becomes the force that unites the soul with God and binds human beings together in charity.
A key theme is that authentic love is transformative. It heals selfishness, moderates disordered attachments, and reshapes the will. Aelred insists that love must move beyond sentiment into self-giving — expressed through patience, humility, mercy, and sacrifice. In this way, love becomes a path of sanctification.
Ultimately, the work teaches that the Christian life is a journey from lesser loves to perfect love. All created loves — friendships, affections, even self-love — find their proper meaning when rooted in divine charity. Perfect love is found not in possession, but in union with God, who is Love itself.
The Book of Exodus, the second book of the Pentateuch, takes its name from a Greek word meaning "departure," highlighting the defining event of Israel's history: the Lord's deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Its Hebrew title, Shemoth — "Names" — comes from its opening line, reminding us that God's saving work unfolds within real history, among real persons whom He knows and calls.
Exodus continues the sacred story where Genesis ends. The descendants of Jacob, once welcomed in Egypt, find themselves oppressed and enslaved. Into this suffering, God reveals Himself not as distant, but as the One who hears the cry of His people. Through Moses, He performs mighty works, freeing Israel and leading them through the Red Sea — an event the Church has long recognized as a powerful foreshadowing of Baptism and redemption.
Yet liberation is only the beginning. At Mount Sinai, God establishes His covenant with Israel. The Law (torah) given through Moses is not merely a set of rules but the framework of a relationship. God saves first; then He teaches His people how to live in the freedom He has given. The moral, civil, and ritual laws form Israel into a holy nation, called to reflect God's own holiness before the world.
A striking portion of Exodus is devoted to the tabernacle, the portable sanctuary where God chooses to dwell among His people. This reveals the deeper purpose of salvation: communion. God does not simply rescue Israel from something — He rescues them for something — life in His presence. Even when Israel falls into rebellion, we witness repentance, covenant renewal, and divine mercy. The book culminates with the construction of the tabernacle and the descent of the cloud, the visible sign of God's glorious presence.
In Exodus, we see the foundations of Israel's identity: a people redeemed, covenanted, instructed, and indwelt by God. For Catholics, the book speaks not only of ancient history but of the enduring pattern of salvation: God delivers, God binds Himself to His people, God teaches, and God remains with them.
