Homily, March 20, 2022

Readings: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Cor 10:1-6i 10-12 Lk 131-9

We do not have to grow very old before we come to realize there's a mystery in human life. Time and time again we come in contact with mystery. Things happen that we cannot explain, a surprising loss or gain affects us deeply, a person comes into our life who makes us see things in an entirely new way. At such times we become aware that we are involved with a mysterious Power. We get a hint that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

The first reading, the story of Moses and the Burning Bush represents an effort to describe something of that mystery in human language. Let us identify and reflect on the five stages in Moses' experience:

First, He sees the burning bush and recognizes that something unusual is happening. There are times in our lives when something unusual is happening, but we don't recognize it. Religious experience is not just for special people --the Spirit touches all of us. Either we don't recognize what is happening and are blinded by our own concerns and interests, or we begin to recognize it, but choose to ignore it.

Secondly, Moses decides to turn off from his journey and come closer to the burning bush. So, he lets go of his own personal agenda and turns his attention to this mysterious reality. On several occasions we can get so much immersed into our own personal agendas that we hear nothing, see or feel nothing unless we ourselves are affected personally in some way. Some people never let go of that attitude and so God's agenda remains a closed book to them.

Thirdly, Moses gets a warning from God: "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." When we come to that place in our spiritual journey where we allow ourselves to feel the attraction of God, then we're on holy ground. Moses acknowledged that by taking off his sandals and he stayed with the experience. That's where many of us fall short, because we are not ready to look for God — we are looking elsewhere instead. We feel the attraction, but we are not willing to stay with the experience. There are other things that take our attention; maybe our favorite television program is coming up, and it promises to be much more interesting.

Then, Moses has taken off his sandals. He is ready now, and God shows himself to him, he is in the presence of “I AM”. The God who is 'I AM' is all around us, at every turn of our lives. He wants to reveal himself to us. But Moses hid his face because he was afraid, and we are afraid too. We cannot control God although we would be much more comfortable in the presence of someone we could control.

Finally, Moses is sent forth: Go to the Israelites, go to Pharaoh, and tell him, "Let My People Go!" In spite of all his self-doubts, and his poor speech, Moses sets out. That is the climax of the story, for Moses and for us, expressed in the word "go." Moses would rather have stayed where he was. Most of us would identify with that feeling.

If we’re going to be open to the experience of God in our lives, we too have to be ready to "go," to move on from where we are right now and seek the Lord.

The life of God is always about starting over again, about growth and discovery, about the grace to make things right. God’s love is for us is constant, unconditional, and limitless.

The parable of the fig tree in the gospel has been called the “gospel of the second chance”. It confirms God’s patience and mercy. Without ignoring the presence of a real problem and the possibility of punishment, the parable reveals that the possibility of conversion and rejuvenation always remains, there is no reason to abandon hope. We always live in the hope and mercy of God who keeps giving us “second chances” to rise from the ashes of sin, to rebuild and reform our lives. Jesus teaches us that God is at work in our lives with patience of gardener. You cannot rush the gardens. The soil must be dug and fertilized, and the plant tended if it is to bear fruit. God’s grace quietly and patiently is at work in all our poor choices overcoming our alienation from Him and from each other.

Whenever we are faced with sin and failures, both our own and that others, we must learn the patience of the divine gardener. Our fallen humanity will not unbend and flourish in a flash of a second. God took centuries of patient cultivation to renew our humanity in his Son and our Savior. And He had sent many prophets before.

Second chances, new journeys. Do not write yourself or others off. God speaks in burning bushes and God restores dying fig trees. May we realize that we are forever held in the heart of a God whose love knows neither limit nor condition. ###