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Being watchful: Discovering new opportunities
Occasionally, the Lord has a way of placing a person or situation in our lives that provides us with a new perspective or sends us in a new direction.
At the Easter Vigil we watch women, men, and teenagers drenched in the waters of baptism. Who or what gave the nudge that brought them to our church, we might wonder. Perhaps a Catholic friend said, "How about coming to church with me next Sunday?"
I've known other stories, too: At funerals a tearful adult grandchild reveals to close family and relative strangers what a talented loving person her aged grandparent really was. The person who had just passed left an indelible mark on the speaker's heart.
Third Sunday
of Lent
(Sunday, March 11, 2007)
Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Luke 13:1-9
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A man I know obviously has been enormously successful in business, but what I did not know until I had an unexpected conversation with him, is how hard his childhood was. I now understand his devotion to volunteering. He has never forgotten how it felt to be sad and alone.
Before he investigates the bush burning in his path, Moses has been a prince of Egypt, discovered he is the son of slaves, murdered an Egyptian, escaped his would-be captors, become a shepherd for Jethro (the priest of Midian), and married Jethro's daughter.
In the grand scheme of his life, Moses' heroic adventures are just beginning as he leads his father-in-law's flock across the desert toward Horeb. The task of safely shepherding animals across unyielding desert terrain pales in comparison to the role he will soon play in salvation history when he leads the Israelites out of Egypt.
However, before any of these events occur, Moses will be enveloped in the mystery of the God of Creation, the God of Moses' ancestors, the God who says, "Tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you."
The ancient one who reveals the mysterious name I AM to Moses so many millennia ago still speaks to the human heart. The opportunities for encountering the holy are innumerable.
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Reflection question
• Who or what, recently, has directed your consciousness to God's presence?
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My grandfather used to say: "Beverly, there are burning bushes everywhere. All you have to do is take the time to investigate."
This column is presented in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.
This week's readings
Week of March 11 - 17, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Third Sunday of Lent
Reading I: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
Reading II: 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
Gospel: Lk 13:1-9
Monday, March 12, 2007
Reading I: 2 Kgs 5:1-15ab
Gospel: Lk 4:24-30
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Reading I: Dn 3:25, 34-43
Gospel: Mt 18:21-35
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Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Reading I: Dt 4:1, 5-9
Gospel: Mt 5:17-19
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Reading I: Jer 7:23-28
Gospel: Lk 11:14-23
Friday, March 16, 2007
Reading I: Hos 14:2-10
Gospel: Mk 12:28-34
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Reading I: Hos 6:1-6
Gospel: Lk 18:9-14
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Pope's Prayer Intentions
March General Intention
Hearing God's Word. That the Word of God may be ever more listened to, contemplated, loved, and lived.
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March Mission Intention
Lay Formation. That the training of catechists and lay people may be the constant concern of those responsible for the young Churches.
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Prayer for St. Raphael Cathedral
O God,
Whose word is like fire,
who spoke to Your servant Moses in the burning bush;
who led Your people Israel out of bondage
with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night:
hear Your people as we call upon You
in both need and gratitude.
May the Cathedral fire purify Your Church
in the Diocese of Madison
so that our hearts may burn with the knowledge
that Your Church is built upon the bedrock
of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the intercession of Saint Raphael,
Your messenger of healing,
in union with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,
and with our Bishop, Robert C. Morlino,
may we find comfort in our affliction
and the courage to proclaim
the Good News of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.
For more prayer resources visit the Office of Worship's Web page at www.straphael.org/~office_of_worship/
(Click on the link on the main page.)
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