Your Sacred Ground: Embracing God’s Creative Choice
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Exod 3:4-10
When the LORD saw him turn aside to look, God called 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.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
The LORD then said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them up from that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Now indeed the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them. Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Grace Prayed For
The scripture passage prompts the reader to pray for the grace to recognize and deeply internalize the truth that God has personally chosen and made them, leading to a profound “Yes” to their own unique existence. It also encourages prayer for the grace of attentiveness to God’s presence in the seemingly ordinary moments of life, and the courage to respond to God’s call to participate in His mission of love and liberation in the world.
Reflection
Imagine Moses, tending his flock, a seemingly ordinary day. He’s not seeking a grand encounter; he’s simply doing his work. And then, he sees it—a bush ablaze, yet not consumed. His curiosity, a spark of wonder in the mundane, leads him to turn aside. And it is in that turning, that moment of attentiveness, that God calls him by name: “Moses, Moses!”
This is the very heart of “God my Father in Heaven chooses to make me.” Just as God saw Moses and called him by name, so too did God choose you into existence, calling your unique being into being. Before you were even conceived, you were known and chosen. This divine recognition is not dependent on your accomplishments or your perceived worthiness; it is a sheer act of loving creation. The burning bush, burning but not consumed, can be a beautiful image of your own existence – a creation infused with God’s presence, yet retaining your unique identity. To say “Yes” to your own existence is to acknowledge this divine choosing, to embrace the preciousness of who you are in God’s eyes.
God then instructs Moses to remove his sandals, for he stands on “holy ground.” This isn’t about physical location as much as it is about a spiritual posture. To stand on holy ground is to recognize the sacredness of God’s presence, and indeed, the sacredness of the moment and the call. Your very life, as a chosen creation, is holy ground. Every moment you exist, every breath you take, is an opportunity to stand in awe of God’s creative power within you. Embracing this truth strengthens your “Yes” to yourself, for you are not merely a product of chance, but a deliberate act of divine love.
But God’s call doesn’t end with Moses’ individual recognition. God reveals His deep compassion: “I have observed the misery of my people… I know their sufferings.” This is the “why” behind Moses’ existence, and indeed, behind yours. God chooses to make us not for our own isolated comfort, but for participation in His redemptive plan. Moses, who had been a shepherd, an unseen individual, is now commissioned with an extraordinary task: “Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
This powerful commissioning illuminates our own mission. Because God has chosen to make you, you are inherently equipped to be an instrument of His love and compassion in the world. Your unique gifts, your experiences, your very personality – all are part of God’s divine design to reach others. Taking this message into your heart means recognizing that your “Yes” to your own existence is inextricably linked to a “Yes” to God’s mission for you. Every encounter you have, whether with a stranger, a friend, or a family member, is an opportunity to embody this divine choice and to participate in God’s ongoing work of liberation and love. You are chosen, not only for being, but for being sent.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
This passage leads to greater intimacy with Jesus by revealing the very heart of God the Father, a heart that meticulously chooses and calls individuals for His divine purposes. Jesus perfectly embodies this divine calling and sending; He is the ultimate “sent one” who fully embraced His unique existence and mission. By understanding the Father’s personal and compassionate nature as revealed in Exodus 3, we gain a deeper appreciation for Jesus’s own obedience and surrender to the Father’s will. Moreover, Jesus assures us that we too are called to participate in His mission (John 20:21), making this a direct pathway to intimacy with Him as we join in the work He began, empowered by the same Spirit that animated His life.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post