Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - Wednesday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 3:1-6, 9-12 and Matt 11:25-27]'Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the Lord appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided, "I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned. When the Lord saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses! He answered, "Here I am." God said,"Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet , for the place where you stand is holy ground...." [Exodus]
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in her poem, "Aurora Leigh," wrote this words that are very theological: Earth's crammed with heaven. And every common bush afire with God;. But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,. The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries. .Her vision is broader than Exodus' but Moses' encounter with God tells us that God is nearer to us than we think. The drama of this encounter will continue over the next day or so but it is one of the most significant encounters with God in the whole Bible! "Holy Ground" is where we find the presence of God, especially in those to whom Christ calls us to care for. It is not just the "sacred space" of a church sanctuary, with monstrance and Mass. It is the sacred space of our neighbor.
God will call Moses to set his people free. Moses will try to say "No!" God will insist. Moses will not spend his life on his knees in front of the burning bush, even if there is a monastery perched on the place where some tradition says the event took place. He will go to Pharaoh and confront him.
At the moment in this drama, it is enough to realize that God is calling Moses. Moses' arguments will follow along with God's insistence. Where are OUR burning bushes? AMEN
[Note to the Beloved Congregation. I will be on the coast of Oregon July 16-25. So THE WORD TO THE WISE may appear later to those who live east of that time zone!]