Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 24, 2025 - Thursday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b and Matt 13:10-17]On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a very heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the Lord came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answering him with thunder." [Exodus]
Moses' encounters with God in the Book of Exodus are hard to match when it comes to "special effects!" The burning bush is fascinating enough, but the descriptions of the encounter(s) on Mt. Sinai are spectacular! In general, such manifestations of God's presence are called "theophanies," from a Greek work meaning "revelation" or "God-shining." But such manifestations are not always as spectacular. The story of God's presence to Elijah in a "still small voice" at the mouth of a cave is an example. [1 Kings 19:11-13] The Ten Commandments and the detailed covenant will emerge from Moses' encounter with God on Mt. Sinai. It will also involve the behavior of the Israelites in creating the golden calf! That incident lies ahead in the lectionary.
In spiritual direction, I often ask the person who wishes to be "closer to God" who they think God is? Do they have an image in mind? Do they expect "special effects?" Contemplative traditions range from banishing all "images" of God from the mind ["apophatic"] as in the spiritual classic The Cloud of Unknowing to use of imagination as in St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. ["kataphatic"]. How is God manifested to us? For many, it will be found in Eucharistic adoration, for others, in great natural phenomena. And for others, it means going inside into deep quiet. Some will expect a special "sign." The variety of theophany in the scriptures is considerable. In the New Testament, there is the voice at Jesus' baptism, the "transfiguration" on the mountain, the incident of St. Paul's conversion, etc.. Jesus was asked by religious authorities for a "sign" to prove his own authority.
Ultimately it comes down to a relationship of faith in God. But we can ask ourselves what it is that we "expect" from this relationship. Do we need "special effects?" AMEN