Tuesday, July 12, 2005
WEDNESDAY 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
JULY 13, 2005
WEDNESDAY 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
EXODUS 3:1-6, 9-12
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. I am
the God of your father," he continued, "the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, the God of Jacob. The cry of the children of Israel has
reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing
them. Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the
children of Israel, out of Egypt." 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."
MATTHEW 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the
wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes,
Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed
over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and
no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son
wishes to reveal him."
REFLECTION
As far as we can see from the Bible, until Moses met God in the
burning bush, he doesn't seem to have had much to do with God at
all.
Moses was raised in Pharaoh's court and his adoptive mother,
Pharaoh's daughter, provided him with the education of an Egyptian
prince. But his education would have said nothing at all about the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There's no indication that Moses
was either religious or irreligious. It may be that like many of
his own and our contemporaries, Moses never seriously adverted to
God's presence at all. Never, that is, until this moment when he
meets Yahweh in the burning bush. God now discloses himself to Moses
in dramatic fashion.
Why did God reveal himself to Moses rather than to anyone else? In
today's gospel Jesus says that his Father generally reveals himself
not to the learned and the clever but to merest children, that is, to
simple, unsophisticated people. We could hardly consider Moses
either simple or unsophisticated. He was well educated and raised in
the household of the Pharaoh.
The reason why God chooses one person rather than another is hidden
in God's own mind. We can't expect to be allowed to rummage around
in the mind of God to find answers to any question that engages our
attention.
But then it's not important to determine why God should call one
person rather than another for a particular purpose, to do a
particular job. We do know that God calls all men and women to the
work of salvation, our own salvation as well as others'. And this is
important knowledge. From those whom God has selected to do a
specific, important task, as he did Moses, and in our day, for
instance, the Pope or Mother Theresa, there is something we can
learn. From them we can learn the dedication, the total self-giving
that should be our response to God as he calls us to do our part in
the work of salvation.
PRAYER
"Lord, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith to gaze
upon your face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love.
Remove every doubt, fear, and proud thought which would hinder me
from receiving your word with trust and humble submission."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the personal intentions of JP.
- for the personal intentions of Lydia and family.
- for good health and special intentions of Elsa and Paolo.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam: Clement Gan (1945-1994)
- In Memoriam: Fr. Eugene Moran, S.J.
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
