Sometimes God raises up a special missionary who will shape the destiny of an entire nation. Early in the book of Exodus, Moses encounters the marvelous sight of a bush on fire yet not consumed. He draws near and has an encounter with God, who bids him go to Pharaoh to demand the liberation of the Israelites. Moses’ response will shape the destiny of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We too are called to fulfill our mission, great or small as it may be. And our response has consequences for the destiny of our nearest and dearest, at the very least, and for society at large.
Who Am I?
Moses does not leap to answer the call; on the contrary, he tarries, he protests, he questions, he doubts, he hesitates.
Are we the same? Do we look around to see if someone else is answering the call? We can all tend to be like Moses, self-deprecatory and balking at the big asks in life. But God says to us:
Who gives one man speech and makes another deaf and dumb? Or who gives sight to one and makes another blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Go, then! It is I who will assist you in speaking and teach you what you are to say. Ex 4:11-12
Unconvinced, Moses pleads with God to send someone else! Which may not have been the wisest plan, given that he was conversing with a blazing bush and could have been reduced to a similar plight!
Our Response
How about you, have you had a Burning Bush encounter? Has God manifested Himself to you and placed His mission on your heart?
For some, this might be a difficult question. Maybe you’re feeling a blazing anger yourself for whatever reason. And maybe your anger burns towards God or your neighbor. Whether your relationship with GOD is toasty, tepid, or somewhere in between, the life of Moses can provide the spark you may need. Moses led an adventurous life, from escaping infanticide through adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter to becoming a fugitive for killing an Egyptian; from trying to run away from God’s mission to becoming the greatest of prophets (after John the Baptist). But he had to learn to trust God first and foremost and to trust himself as well. And it was through Moses, God’s chosen instrument, that the Israelites were miraculously delivered from the mighty Egyptians, and the entirety of the Law, including the Ten Commandments, was delivered to the Israelites and a covenant with the nation of Israel was commemorated.
He will do mighty deeds through us as well if we can learn to trust as Moses did!
I Will Be with You
God reassures Moses of His accompaniment. He promises to assist Moses and teach him what to say. And the same is true for us. For we have a Savior who promises to be with us always, until the end of the age. To find God, all we have to do is step into a Catholic Church and avail of His presence in the Eucharist at Mass or in silent adoration, where the small and burning questions of life can be addressed and clarified. Where we can pray to the Father, the Creator of Creation, and the Source of every inspiration. We can pray to the Son, the Word who proceeds from the Father, to author of every word in us. And we can pray to the Holy Spirit, to prolong in us the song that carries us along in the wake of a mighty current that steers us through life.
Jesus rejoices and praises God who conceals from the wise and the learned but reveals to the childlike.
No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. Mat 11:27
May we become childlike and strengthen our relationship with the Son who longs to reveal the Father. May we firmly grasp the hand of God and like Moses, step into the breach and become the missionary God intends us to be.
