20210714 AM I THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB?
14 July, 2021, Wednesday, 15th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Exodus 3:1-6,9-12 © |
The burning bush
Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. He led his flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing but it was not being burnt up. ‘I must go and look at this strange sight,’ Moses said, ‘and see why the bush is not burnt.’
Now the Lord saw him go forward to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush. ‘Moses, Moses!’ he said. ‘Here I am,’ Moses answered. ‘Come no nearer,’ he said. ‘Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,’ he said, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.
And the Lord said, ‘The cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them, so come, I send you to Pharaoh to bring the sons of Israel, my people, out of Egypt.’
Moses said to God, ‘Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’ ‘I shall be with you,’ was the answer ‘and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you... After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 102(103):1-4,6-7 © |
The Lord is compassion and love.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
The Lord is compassion and love.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassion and love.
The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgement for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.
The Lord is compassion and love.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:25-27 © |
You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children
Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
AM I THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Ex 3:1-6. 9-12; Ps 103:1-4,6-7; Mt 11:25-27]
In life, there will be occasions when we are called to lead. There are those who are overly confident of themselves and think they can do it well. Such over presumptuous people often meet with failure as they miscalculate the demands of the office and their capacity. Then there are those who feel diffident about the tasks given to them, knowing how daunting leadership can be, especially in some positions. Conscious of their own limitations, they tend to decline such appointments.
This was the case of Moses in today’s first reading. An angel of the Lord appeared to Moses “in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush” at Mount Horeb in the wilderness. When God told Moses that he was standing on holy ground and to remove his shoes, Moses did it as a symbolic act of human weakness, vulnerability and nakedness before the power of God. It expressed Moses’ humility and confidence in God, his powerlessness and God’s mighty power. God was already preparing him to expect that the mission entrusted to him could not be achieved by human strength but only by His might. The beginning of mission for Moses and for us all is to begin on our knees asking for God’s grace and help. By taking off his shoes, Moses was teaching us to obey the Lord, for it is only through obedience that God can show forth His power. As Peter would later testify before the Sanhedrin, “we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32)
“And the Lord said, ‘And now the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them, so come, I send you to Pharaoh to bring the sons of Israel, my people, out of Egypt.’ Moses said to God, ‘Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” It is very telling when Moses responded with “Who am I?” Moses was not asking so much about his identity but his capacity to fulfil the role that God had assigned him. It was not just a question of the lack of confidence on his part but whether this role that God had assigned him was more properly the work of God. In other words, when it concerns the salvation of a people and their deliverance, no human person can undertake such a task. Only God could do it. So Moses did not want to deceive himself into thinking that he could do this work of deliverance as if he had the power of God.
Furthermore, Moses had learnt from his earlier mistake when he sought to free his countryman from being bullied by the Egyptians. He presumed that he was the leader of Israel, considering the fact that he had position, power and influence. So, he took it upon himself to defend the Hebrew who was beaten by an Egyptian by killing him. The next day, whilst trying to mediate between two Hebrews who were fighting, his crime was exposed and so he fled to Midian as Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses. (Ex 2:11-15) This incident revealed clearly that his people had not yet accepted him as their leader. More so after fleeing from Egypt, why would the people now embrace him as their leader after abandoning them for so long? Clearly, therefore, Moses was not the right person to be the leader of Israel.
But this is where we fail to realize that we cannot accomplish the work of God by our own strength and our own ingenuity. God did not ask him to do the job without empowering him. On the contrary, it would be God who would deliver His people from slavery. Moses was merely an instrument. The Lord told Moses, “I will be with you.” This is the assurance of God. Indeed, the mission given to Moses was a very daunting task because he would be fighting against the entire army of Pharaoh with military might. This was the same assurance that God gave to Joshua (Jos 1:5), to the timid Gideon (Jdg 6:16), and the younger Jeremiah (1:8) But this promise is not just for them but for all of us.
Not only did God assure Moses that He would be with him in His mission, God affirmed His faithfulness to the father of Moses. “I am the God of your father,’ he said ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.'” God had always shown Himself to be faithful to the Covenantal promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in spite of their failure to trust Him absolutely at all times. Moses was asked to imitate the faith of Abraham, who left everything to go Canaan, to be like Isaac who trusted in God even when he was faced with the inevitably of death, and like Jacob, who discovered the folly of deceit instead of trusting in God’s promises. Indeed, the fact that the bush, although in flame, was never burnt showed the power of the Living God who is self-maintaining and self-sufficient. God does not draw energy from anyone and even as He gives Himself, He is never exhausted. Like the burning bush, God never runs out of fuel and energy in saving His people. This God is forever faithful to Israel, as seen by His compassion for His people when He told Moses, “the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them.”
God even gave Moses a sign. He said, “and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you … After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer to God on this mountain.” The question is, how could this be a sign until it came true? How did it reassure Moses at the present moment when he needed a sign? Faith is required to see the sign. He simply had to take God’s word for it and believe that God would deliver on His promise. That was what the scriptures said, “By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.” (Heb 11:27)
We, too, have been commissioned by the Lord for His work, whether in our profession, ministry or in our community. We might feel diffident and unworthy. But the account of Moses’ call today makes it clear that God’s sovereign grace triumphs over man’s inadequacy and mistakes. God uses ordinary people like us, just as Jesus in the gospel chose ordinary fishermen to be His apostles. God would use our broken history and failures to prepare us from ministry. Just as God used the events of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses’ life to prepare them for the unfolding of His plan for Israel, so too God continues to act in and through people, Pharaoh’s daughter or ordinary people such Moses’ mother who her faith in God by placing the baby in a basket. All of us have our part to play.
But we can give ourselves to the tasks at hand with confidence only if we know God and we know ourselves. The self-revelation of God always brings out our own revelation. This is the lesson in today’s first reading and the gospel. Jesus said, “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus was confident of His mission because He knew the Father and the Father knew Him. Intimacy with His Father was the source of His strength and commitment to His mission. He and the Father were one in mind and in heart.
We too can undertake our mission only if we are humble enough to believe in Him. The Lord said, “I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.” Intellectual pride and self-reliance are the biggest obstacles to fulfilling the mission that God has given to us. We must learn to rely on Him as Moses did by trusting in His power. What is critical for us to be firm in our faith and in our mission is when we know God more and more intimately. When we know that God is with us in this journey, then we will not fear the future. We will have confidence that somehow, He will show us the way. Indeed, as we will see later, revelation and salvation belong together, as the Lord said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment