On Thursday of the Third Week of Lent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Exodus (34:10-28) entitled "The second version of the Book of the Covenant". Our treasure, which follows, is from the treatise On Prayer by Tertullian, priest.
Tertullian was a priest and a prolific second century Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy.
Tertullian's On Prayer (De Oratione), written in the late 2nd or early 3rd century, is one of the earliest Christian reflections on the meaning and practice of prayer. In this short treatise, Tertullian explains the importance of prayer in the life of believers and offers a detailed meditation on the words of the Lord's Prayer, which he calls the "summary of the whole Gospel." His primary message is that prayer is the essential expression of a Christian's relationship with God—an act that should arise from humility, sincerity, and a life striving for holiness. Tertullian teaches that true prayer is not merely spoken words but the offering of the heart, joined with repentance, charity, and faith. By reflecting on each petition of the Lord's Prayer, he shows how it teaches believers what to desire, how to trust in God's providence, and how to live in forgiveness and dependence on the Father. In this way, On Prayer presents prayer as both a school of faith and a guide for Christian living.
His most famous quotes include: "Nature soaks every evil with either fear or shame", "Hope is patience with the lamp lit", "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church".
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.
