Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - Wednesday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 3:1-6, 9-12 and Matt 11:25-27]But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He answered, "I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain." [Exodus]
There are plenty of us around still who can remember Cecil B. DeMille's epic film, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Charleton Heston played Moses in this version (there had been an earlier one) and the burning bush was as fascinating to us as it was to Moses: I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned. This scene is one of the most important in the whole Bible. Not only does God speak directly to Moses and reveals the name of God but calls Moses to a task that Moses does not consider himself capable of. God gives the ultimate reassurance: I will be with you!
When I read this story, I recall my own experience of being "called" to religious life! It took a few years after my ordination before I was able to identify my experience with that of Moses and the burning bush. It happened, appropriately enough, at a retreat house in the Arizona desert! When God "calls," one's arguments about unworthiness or lack of ability or the perceived difficulty of the task are of no avail. My religious superiors have called me to any number of difficult assignments and I could think of any number of reasons why I should resist, but God's ultimate reassurance prevails: "I will be with you."
I mention my own experience not because it has any claim to uniqueness but because I think it is the experience so many others have. Should I marry this person? Should I pursue this career? Can I bear this or that particular burden? Our faith has to ultimately bring us to God's assurance: "I will be with you!" AMEN