Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church
[Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 and Matthew 11:25-27]I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.
In the Old Testament it would be difficult to find a story or event more fateful than Moses' decision to check out the "burning bush." He discovers that God can take an ordinary desert bush and make it burn to be a means of divine revelation. More than that, he discovers that his own future and the future of his people are connected with the Voice that speaks to him from the bush! There are two important questions that Moses asks: "Who am I?" and "Who are you?" Theologians and mystics (such as the great Dominican, Meister Eckhart) have tended to concentrate on the second question. I personally have found the first question more spiritually practical simply because I find Moses' reactions to be similar to my own when I have confronted the Lord with a situation and my own inadequacies to cope with it. God's response is always the same: "I will be with you." All of Moses' objections are swept aside. He has to go and confront Pharoah (no easy task) and then lead God's people (a much harder task!). Is it any wonder why this incident in Exodus stands at the top of any list of spiritually important events in history? Tomorrow we will learn more about the Voice, but today we can put ourselves in Moses' sandals and then remove them when we confront the Burning Bush because we are on holy ground. AMEN