~~~ Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Matthew 11:25-27 ~~~
'...no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.'
The Father, before coming to known as the Father revealed himself to Moses.
Moses hears the voice of God coming from the burning bush.
God presented himself in a remarkable sight...
a fire burning but not consuming.
Fire is one of the primary forces of nature it;
consumes as it feeds to perpetuate itself.
Moses was curious...inquisitive...he wanted to find
out more about this mysterious fire.
If this fire was not enough; a voice comes forth from the bush.
A talking bush, is this a science fiction story?
God calls out to Moses by name.
And Moses responds, 'Here I am', as a good child would.
God tells Moses that he is standing on Holy Ground
instructing him further to remove his sandals.
The act of removing his sandals is a sign of reverence and respect
for the holy ground upon which he was standing.
Removing his shoes put his feet directly in contact with the ground....
the holy ground...the ground where God was present.
God had made himself present in the fire,
the voice, the call,
and now required bare feet.
The bare feet to me indicate your willingness to get your feet dirty
when doing God's work.
Moses was being called to lead the people on foot
across the desert for many difficult years.
Their journey would be long and challenging.
He would have to face much criticism and self doubt.
He would need to know that he was doing the will of God.
I am the God of your father,” he continued,
“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
God assured him that he was indeed hearing the voice of God.
When God calls you into his service how much convincing do you need?
Imagine hearing God call you by name
the next time you are walking
from your car to the store or to church.
How does God get your attention?
For Moses it was the burning bush.
What is 'holy ground' for you?
Where would you be willing to take off your shoes?
Is it before the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic Adoration?
Is it when you come before the priest for reconciliation?
Taking off your shoes could mean your complete surrendering to God.
Some people have trained themselves to walk on glowing hot coals,
but God only asked that Moses remove his sandals.
Removing your sandals may indicate your willingness
to remove any barriers between you and God.
What keeps you from being able to answer God's call more confidently.
God finally tells Moses...I will be with you...
whenever you have questions...I will be with you...
whenever you are afraid...I will be with you...
whenever you feel like things are hopeless..I will be with you.
...this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you
Sometimes it would be so nice to have the same kind
of verbal reassurance right from God.
While we cannot hear his actual words
we do have this very same guarantee.
The guarantee, that he will be with us
as proof that it is he who has called us...
Proof that we are doing his work...
proof that we are standing on holy ground.
Blessings come from standing on holy ground.
