Fulfilling God's Purposes Here on Earth

Today's Scripture, Exodus 2: 1-15, presents the story of Moses' mother, a Levite woman, hiding her infant in reeds on the river bank. Pharaoh's daughter finds him and asked his mother, who is watching nearby, to nurse him. She does so and when the child grew returned him to Pharaoh's daughter.   Moses is raised an Egyptian.

One day, as an adult, Moses sees an Egyptian  striking one of his kinsman and kills him.  The next day, he sees two Hebrews fighting one another and one of them asks: Are you going to kill us, too. Moses realizes that his murder of an Egyptian is known and that Pharaoh is out to kill him. He flees to the land of Midian.

As we know from the rest of the story, Moses is called up from Midian to be God's instrument in freeing the Israelites from the Egyptians. That he murdered a man is no deterrent in God using him for his divine purposes. In Moses' case, he overcomes his fear of Pharaoh and follow God's plan.  Not easy, by any means!

You and I are no different from Moses. We, too, engage in behaviors that, perhaps, we believe make us unworthy of being an instrument in God's hands. Not true, however. Because the works we are to do, or the purposes for which God created us, are accomplished, literally, by the Spirit of God at work through us. The good that we accomplish in this life is not our doing, though we may take credit for the good we do, collecting accolades and awards as though we truly carried out God's will all by ourselves.

Lord, we ask for forgiveness and repent of the times that we usurp Your power, the credit and the glory that belongs to You.  You are God. We are mere creatures, Your children, put here on earth to give You glory and honor and praise.  We are here to learn of You, to see Your glory here on earth and to be Your servants!







 

Discernment: From the Perspective of the Annunciation

Discerning God’s Plan: Today we celebrate the feast of the Annunciation, the angel announces to Mary that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of the Son of God.  Mary, hearing of God’s plan, says:  “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your  word.”  She surrenders her will to the will of God at the risk of losing her own life. “Yes” to God’s will involves a letting go of my will, a dying to my will, an acceptance of the pain involved in dying. It involves taking risks, not knowing the consequences.   When “an angel of the Lord” announces God’s plan for you, what is your response? Are you willing, as Mary was, to have it done to you according to God’s word, or, like Adam and Eve, do we follow our own will and set God’s aside?  “Not now, Lord. I can’t leave what I am doing? I have no idea where my “yes” to your call will take me? Will I ever see home again? Will I be able to visit my friends? Will I be able to have my own cell phone? What will happen to the home I own? The car I own?

The leap of faith is a difficult leap! With your hand in the hand of the Lord, however, it is not too wide from “here” to “there.”  You will make it because God is in charge, God leads, God shows the way, God lights the dark, God strengthens the weak!