Today’s first reading brings us to one of the most insightful stories in salvation history: the encounter between Moses and God at the burning bush. This event marks the beginning of God's great plan to free His people from slavery. It is a story of divine calling, human hesitation, and God’s assurance that He is always with us. Moses was tending sheep when he saw the bush burning but not consumed. He was not in a temple or on a pilgrimage, he was at work in the wilderness. God often speaks to us in the midst of our daily lives, but do we take time to notice? Like Moses, we must learn to recognize God’s presence in the ordinary moments of our busy lives.
When Moses approached, God told him, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). Holiness is not just about a place: it is about God’s presence. Wherever God calls us, that place becomes sacred. Do we recognize our homes, workplaces, and churches as places where God is present?
God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses felt unworthy, asking, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11). We, too, may feel inadequate when God calls us to serve. But God does not call the equipped. God equips the called. His answer to Moses is the same for us: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) Moses was afraid, but God reassured him. When we face challenges, we must remember that we do not go alone. God’s name: “I AM WHO I AM” reminds us that He is eternal, unchanging, and always present in our lives.
Moses' encounter with God reminds us that: God speaks to us in the ordinary events of our daily lives. It also reminds us that where God is, there is holiness and so we should be respectful of God’s presence. God calls each of us to some specific mission/ministry, even when we feel unworthy, and He promises to be with us always. Let us open our hearts, listen to His call, and trust that wherever He sends us, He will go with us. When we answer His call, we bear fruit in abundance beyond our imagination.
God is Good, All the Time!
Father Tony Udoh, MSP Pastor of Holy Family
