Burning Bush

3^rd Sunday of Lent

Cycle C

How did you first encounter God?

Everyone at some time or another experiences the presence of God in their lives. Even atheists do; they just don’t recognize or acknowledge it. Sometimes it is a strong, life-changing experience, like Moses experienced in today’s first reading. God does reveal himself to us boldly and miraculously. Moses saw God face-to-face, and it caused him to turn away in fear and awe.

For Moses, this encounter with God for the first time changed the direction of his life forever. No more would he be a simple shepherd in the desert, worried only about his family and surviving day-to-day in the desert. God called Moses to a very important task. He was to change the course not only of Hebrew history, but ours as well. Moses was called and he could have said no. But his yes to that call has had repercussions for thousands of years.

These types of experiences are actually not that uncommon. We read all the time about people who allow God to change the course of their lives. St. Francis of Assisi’s vision in the chapel of San Damiano. St. Juan Diego’s encounter with the Blessed Virgin. The election of Pope Saint John XXIII. There are thousands of stories of people who have literally been forced to see the face of God, and all are given a choice at that point. Do they answer that call or go on with their lives as before.

We remember those who have answered yes because they go on to change the world. There are probably many, many more who turned away from God’s call and we may never know the consequences of their refusal for their or our lives. I believe that each and every human being will encounter God is some meaningful way in their lives, and all of us will be given the choice of what to do with our lives afterwards.

I just saw the movie, Risen. I highly recommend it. It is a story of miraculous encounters with the risen Christ. Each of the characters, from the apostles to Pontius Pilate to the Roman tribune are touched by the reality that the Nazarene has been raised. And it is life changing for each of them in different ways.

You see, once you experience the reality of the risen Christ your life will never be the same. Even if you reject him you will feel the effects of that rejection. One path leads to joy and peace, and sacrifice and usually suffering. The other leads also to sacrifice and suffering, but without the joy and peace.

For over 25 years I have had the privilege of walking alongside over 150 adults who have answered the call to become Catholic. Each of them has a unique story of their call. Some are dramatic. Some have gone through some horrific experiences. Some have battled some pretty strong demons. But all have one thing in common: they all were looking for that personal encounter with God. Something had called them to the Church, but it wasn’t until they experienced the touch of Jesus that they felt they had made the right decision. It wasn’t until then that they felt at home.

We may call these encounters conversion experiences, and they are, but for most of us our conversions are much more subtle. We encounter God in the stuff or our everyday lives, many, many times, and each encounter requires a response from us to God’s outreach.

Most of us experience God in the simple things all around us. A newborn child, a lover’s kiss, the awesome beauty of a landscape, a sunrise or sunset. Most of us don’t have life shattering encounters with our God. Most of us encounter Him in countless little ways throughout the days of our lives. I think actually those encounters are the most lasting and the strongest. Because they build upon one another.

You know what we call these daily encounters with God? Grace. Grace is simply God touching our lives in some way. Sometimes His grace is strong and obvious, like on your wedding day or when you held your firstborn for the first time. Sometimes it hits you over the head like a rock. We can be shaken, like Moses was, when we encounter God for the first time. It can be life-changing and can re-direct our lives in ways we never imagined.

Has that ever happened to you? Has something soul-shaking ever happened to you? I often see it in families who have suffered the sudden loss of a loved one, or who have sickness thrust upon them. Times like that force us to focus on the fact that we are ultimately not in control of our lives, no matter how much we want to believe that. But what usually happens is that when we finally release our grip God takes over. We each have or own burning bush. We each have that one encounter that changes everything. The call of God burns like that bush, but while it may consume us, it never destroys us.

Grace builds upon grace. It never diminishes, it only gets stronger. Just like the road to perdition is built upon many, many small rejections of God’s grace. Most of us are never given a single opportunity to accept or reject God. We are given thousands.

Lent is the perfect time to encounter the risen Christ. How have you been preparing for that encounter? Have you taken the time to pray, fast and give alms this Lenten season? Have you taken advantage of the most awesome example of God’s grace, to see the Lord face-to-face in the confessional? You see, the most obvious result of saying yes to God’s call is to change your life. We are all called to repentance, each and every day. Conversion requires repentance. We must first see ourselves for who we truly are, coldly and honestly, before we can accept the burning fire of God’s love in our lives.

And while that conversion experience is a very personal one, it will also affect those around you. Like Moses and all the saints, once they said yes they changed. They changed their view of themselves, they changed their view of God, and they then went out and changed the world. Will you do the same?