“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of
fire our of a bush; he looked and the bush was blazing, yet it was not
consumed.” -Exodus
3:2
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| Srs. Mary Ann, Nancy & Cyndi |
In January I had the opportunity to give a vocation talk to
the Middle and High School catechism classes at my nephew’s parish. I used the call of Moses as an introduction
to the talk and, spent some time reflecting on what it means to experience God
in ways similar to Moses, ways that seem contrary to what we expect from God. I
imagine coming across the cool flame of a bush that is burning yet not
consumed, and am left in a state of wonder. I asked them to think about the
unexpected ways they find God’s beauty and mystery in their lives. I never tire
of Moses, his eventual relationship with God inspires me even more than this
initial moment…maybe that is for another day.
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| Srs. Sue, Johana, Clare & Edie |
A simple way that I experience the beauty of God today is in
the completion of a weekend with sisters in my community who were born after
1950. Seventeen of us gathered Thursday
evening at the Cenacle Retreat Center in Chicago, IL. One of our intentions was deepening our
relationship with one another. It was difficult to drag myself to the weekend,
my usual pattern of skepticism when doing something new is pretty predictable
and I was right on target. Moses initial encounter with God begins a journey of
intimacy and friendship that I see as unparalleled in scripture with another human being (you might read my bias in this and see my Moses banner flying hight). I realized
while sitting among my sisters this weekend that this reflects opportunity to
recognize in each of them the opportunity to take off my sandals and reverence
the wonder of God in ways not so different than Moses coming upon the burning
bush. In some ways I am refreshed and renewed, while struggling with sleep
deprivation at this very moment. The week will provide opportunity to further
reflect on what this encounter provided, and for this I am grateful.
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