Father Mike Schmitz hosts day 41 of the Bible in a Year podcast, a program brought to you by Ascension using the Great Adventure Bible timeline. The podcast reads through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, helping listeners discover how the story of salvation unfolds and their place within it.

Today's readings include Exodus chapter 23 covering laws concerning justice and annual feasts, Leviticus chapter 16 detailing the Day of Atonement ritual, and Psalm 77 expressing trust in God's mighty deeds. Father Mike uses the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition and emphasizes connections between Old Testament practices and Catholic sacraments.

The discussion focuses on balancing justice for all social classes, the establishment of Jewish festivals that prefigure Christian holy days, and the scapegoat ritual as a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice. Father Mike encourages listeners to see these ancient texts not as foreign practices but as preparation for modern Catholic worship.

Justice Laws That Balance Rich and Poor

Exodus chapter 23 establishes laws requiring justice for all, specifically warning against both oppressing the poor and showing favoritism to them in legal matters.

"To do injustice for the sake of the poor is condemned. And also to do injustice against the poor is condemned" - Father Mike explains this remarkable balance.

God anticipates human nature's tendency toward both hardness of heart against the poor and misguided compassion that perverts justice.

The command "You shall not oppress a stranger. You know the heart of a stranger, for you are strangers in the land of Egypt" connects Israel's experience to their treatment of others.

Three Annual Festivals Established in Exodus

Exodus 23:14-17 establishes three mandatory festivals: Passover (unleavened bread), Pentecost (harvest of first fruits), and Tabernacles (ingathering at year's end).

"Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God" - establishing the pilgrimage requirement to Jerusalem for worship.

Pentecost occurs "50 days after the feast of unleavened bread," directly paralleling the Christian celebration 50 days after Easter - Father Mike.

These festivals prefigure Christian holy days, with Passover connecting to "Good Friday and Holy Thursday and all of Easter, the Triduum."

Day of Atonement Ritual and the Scapegoat Mystery

Leviticus 16 describes Yom Kippur as "the only day of fasting that actually is decreed in the Bible" - Father Mike.

The high priest Aaron performs the scapegoat ritual, laying hands on a goat's head to "declare the sins of the people of Israel" before sending it into the wilderness.

The mysterious figure Azazel receives the scapegoat, prompting Father Mike's honest admission: "I know theories, but I don't know the actual answer."

This ritual foreshadows Christ as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world," connecting Old Testament sacrifice to Catholic Mass.

Old Testament as Preparation for Catholic Worship

Father Mike emphasizes that Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are "not ancient, not merely ancient books" but preparation for Catholic sacraments.

"What you and I are doing is it is the fulfillment" - connecting Old Testament worship practices to the Catholic Mass and confession.

The priest offering Eucharist mirrors the Old Testament priest "offering up the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God to the glory of the Father."

"Every time it gets weird, every time it seems so strange and so foreign, realize, no, no, no, no, that is, this is not strange" - Father Mike's encouragement to see continuity.