Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 3:1-6.9-12; Matthew
11:25-27)
Humans today enter a church to encounter God. In more primitive societies God was typically
found in nature. The latter is the case
for Israel in today’s first reading.
Moses meets the Lord on the mountainside of Horeb. As a sign of submissiveness to God, Moses
must remove his sandals at the site.
God wants Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. He seems ideal for the task. Having been raised in the royal family, Moses
can speak directly to Pharaoh. He also
has the trust of the people. He had
slain the Egyptian who was beating the defenseless Israelite. Still Moses needs God’s assurance of
support.
God also speaks to us in the sanctuary of our
consciences. He means to liberate us
from the wrongful ideas and runaway emotions that can lead to ruin. We should heed what He says. He loves us and will supply all the strength
necessary to love our neighbors. He has
in mind for us a more satisfying reward than any payoff the world offers.
