Scripture Exodus 3:1-14 Knowing God

Transcription

1 This week we celebrate Vocations Awareness Week. Vocation Awareness Week is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in Scotland dedicated to promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations. This week, in schools throughout Scotland, we are considering the different aspects of vocation. Looking at the example of Moses, First years will consider how knowing God in our lives forms an important part of any vocation. Scripture Exodus 3:1-14 Knowing God One day Moses was taking care of Jethro s sheep. Jethro was Moses father- in- law. Moses led the sheep to the west side of the desert. He came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up. So Moses said, I will go closer to this strange thing. How can a bush continue burning without burning up? The Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush. So God called to him from the bush, Moses, Moses! And Moses said, Here I am. Then God said, Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals. You are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt. And I have heard their cries when the Egyptian slave masters hurt them. I am concerned about their pain. I have come down to save them from the Egyptians I have heard the cries of the people of Israel. So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt! But Moses said to God, I am not a great man! Why should I be the one to go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt? God said, I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: You will lead the people out of Egypt. Then all of you will worship me on this mountain. Moses said to God, When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, The God of your ancestors sent me to you. What if the people say, What is his name? What should I tell them? Then God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, I AM sent me to you.

2 The Background The story we ve just read is taken from the Book of Exodus. When it opens, the people of Israel are having a really, difficult time. They are slaves in Egypt. They are unpaid, they have no rights and they have little or no time off. They need help from God and they need it fast! Who is Moses? Moses is one of the most important figures in the Old Testament. He had a rather interesting life. As a baby, he narrowly escaped death. The Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, had decreed that all the first born babies of the people of Israel should be drowned in the river Nile. On hearing this, Moses' mother hides the baby Moses for 3 months and then places him baby in a wicker basket (the very first Moses basket!) in the reeds by the River Nile. The baby's crying alerts one of the pharaoh's daughters who takes the baby. As Moses, grows up his life becomes more complicated! As a young man he kills an Egyptian slave master who he sees beating an Israelite slave. He then goes on the run to the land of Midian (modern day Saudi Arabia). Whilst there, he marries the daughter of a local priest, Jethro. It is while working for Jethro as a Shepherd that Moses encounters God in the burning bush. After encountering God in the burning bush, Moses goes on to liberate the people of Israel from Egypt, receives the Ten Commandments from God and almost (but not quite!) leads the Israelite people back to the Promised Land of Israel. What a life! The Burning Bush? People often wonder why God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Why did God not use something more spectacular? Why did God not use special effects or pyrotechnics? The answer is probably quite simple. God comes to us through the ordinary things of everyday life and there probably wasn t anything more ordinary in the desert than a bush! Think for a moment when we go to Mass, God comes to us through the most basic foodstuffs - bread and wine.

3 At Baptism, He comes to us through the medium of water - the most basic element of life! When God comes into our lives it s rarely through anything spectacular but through things that are basic, simple and ordinary! Take off your sandals? God asks Moses to take off his sandals. Why? The answer is simple to show respect. When we encounter God, when we find ourselves in a Holy Place like a Church or a school Oratory we behave in a different way. We quieten down, we try not to talk and we usually bless ourselves and genuflect. When he takes off his sandals, Moses is doing the same thing! What s in a name? Moses asks God what His name is. God tells Moses his name and that is the very first step in their friendship. When we met someone for the first time, we ask them what their name is and from that moment, friendships are often born! God tells us about Himself because he loves us. God cares about our lives. He wants to be our friend. The Big Word Do you want to impress your friends and family by dropping a big word into conversation? Try this word theophany. Theophany means God s appearance. The story of the Burning Bush when God appears to Moses is an example of a theophany. This Theophany marked the beginning of the friendship between Moses and God Reflection 1. Do you remember when and how you met your best friend? 2. What sustains your relationship with your best friend? 3. Since you started High School, have you tried to make new friends? 4. In primary school we have learned a lot about God and taken steps to develop our relationship with Him. What did you learn about God when you: (a) made your First Confession (b) received your First Holy Communion (c) received the Sacrament of Confirmation

4 Vocation Example People often ask me why I became a Priest. The answer isn t very exciting or very complicated but I suppose that s the way things often are with God He comes into our lives quietly without any fuss or show. As a young teenager, I believed in God. I believed He was out somewhere making the Sun shine and the Moon go round the earth but that was about it. I believed He was just some old man with a beard in a galaxy far, far away. I didn t really believe He was interested in my life. I didn t really believe that He cared what happened to me or my family. Things changed when I met a friend who was really committed to His faith. He kept saying that God really did care and that God really wanted to be part of my life. From that time things began to change. I began to see God not as some distant idea but as my father, my brother and my friend. I began to pray a lot and tell Him about everything I was going. Things gradually changed. I stopped believing in God and began to have faith in Him. People laugh when I say that but it s true. We believe that the moon goes round the earth, that 3 is bigger than 2 but it doesn t really matter to how we feel or impact on how we understand ourselves. Faith, on the other hand, is knowing that no matter how crazy things become God cares for us and that He is our friend that really does change, it really matters. Once I moved from belief to faith, the Priesthood seemed the natural place to be. I wake up every day knowing that God loves me and that I am doing my best for Him. A Priest of the Diocese of Paisley

5 Activity 1. Working with a partner discuss the following: (a) In what ways have you come to know God? (b) What similarities are there between the Vocation Story and the Moses story? (c) How does the Vocation Story above help us to know God? 2. Working by yourself: (a) In the Moses story and the Vocation story, what could have been the obstacles that stopped them responding to God s call in their life? (b) What do you think God is calling you to do with your life? Are you ready to allow him to do something special with your life? (c) Can you think of anyone you know whose life has been changed by coming to know God? 3. Working in groups/pairs: Produce a collage/wall display on the theme Knowing God End of Lesson Prayer Lord God, you came into the life of Moses and showed him that You were his friend. As I start First Year, come into my life and remind you that my friend, that you care for me and that you want the best for me. Amen b