The Burning Bush and the Call of Moses

 

Mass Reflection for July 16th, 2025

First Reading: Exodus 3:1–6, 9–12, Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1b–2, 3–4, 6–7, Gospel: Matthew 11:25–27

It's Wednesday and today’s reading was taken from the Book of Exodus, Moses encounters God in the burning bush, a moment of profound divine self-disclosure. God calls out, “Moses, Moses!” and Moses responds, “Here I am” (Exodus 3:4). What follows is not just a calling but a commissioning: God reveals that He has seen the affliction of His people and has chosen Moses to lead them out of bondage in Egypt. 

This divine encounter reminds us that God is not distant from human suffering. As the Lord says, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people... I know well what they are suffering” (Exodus 3:7). Ours is a God who sees, who hears, who knows intimately the cries of His people, and who acts in His time.

But like Moses, we often feel unworthy or ill-equipped when God calls us. When Moses hesitates, asking “Who am I that I should go?” (Exodus 3:11), God does not respond with a list of Moses’ qualifications. Instead, He promises, “I will be with you.” That is the only credential Moses needs, God's presence.

In the Gospel, Jesus echoes this divine logic of choosing the humble. He praises the Father, saying, “You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to little ones” (Matthew 11:25). 

God does not work through this world's power systems and structures, but through simplicity, trust, and humility. The wise of the world may miss the mystery, but those with hearts like children can receive divine revelation.

Jesus then reveals a staggering truth: “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” (Matthew 11:27). Revelation is not something we take—it is something we are given. This is grace.

Psalm 103 provides the language of praise in response to such grace: “Bless the Lord, O my soul... He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills... and crowns you with kindness and compassion.” The God who calls, the God who reveals, is also the God who heals and redeems.

On this Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we are invited to reflect on Mary, who perfectly embodied the humility and openness spoken of in the Gospel. She heard the call of God and said “yes,” even when she could not fully understand the road ahead. In this way, Mary becomes a model for our own response to God’s calling.

Let us pray for the grace to recognize the burning bushes in our own lives, the moments where God is calling us to something greater, even if we feel unprepared or unready. And may we always remember His promise: “I will be with you.”

Have a wonderful day, 

God bless you,

Pal Ronnie