Jesus, what a beautiful Name it is. The name of our Saviour. Loving, merciful and compassionate God. Nevertheless, He has so many faces that it is completely impossible for a human being to gather them altogether and have a whole picture of it. God is always different of what we think He is.
When I was working in Switzerland at a height of almost 2,500 meters, I remember my enchantment with every single sunrise. The magic spell of the mountains was inviting me to explore more. Yet, it wasn’t about conquering a mountain top, it was about contemplating my God’s captivating beauty. I wrote : “my”, but He’s not mine at all. He’s all sufficient, totally free and His breath can strike like a violent wind.
Now Moses (…) came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. (…) God called to him out of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”. And He said, “Here I am”.
Ex. 3 : 1-5
There are two things which hit me the most. The first one is the depiction of the burning bush, although never consumed. The second one is the way God presents himself to Moses.
What does it tell us about God’s nature? He appears first in a blaze, then He speaks to Moses. Lord “contains himself” in His own creature to show us something very special in this moment. He could have come along silently without any sign of His presence, yet He chose to set a fire. Curiously the bush hadn’t been burnt, but still very much alive.
For me, God desired to express His love to Moses before calling and rising him up to his mission. Moses had to pass through the sanctifying fire as an offer for the Lord. He gets distinguished by God himself.
God’s all-devouring love for us is too big to get waisted. He is capable of becoming visible and palpable, JUST because He wants. He calls us by our names and says : “Here I am. All for you. Ready to serve you.” Hebrew tradition claims that calling someone twice is a sign of a great concern for this person. For God cared about Moses and cares about us.
Think about the incarnation. The Eucharist. All of the creative paths God takes to reach us. Think about yours. What’s your story? How did He manage to catch you?
Think about all the ways He was and is purifying you. Maybe it makes you scared. Maybe you think : “That hurts too much.” Yes, but it’s all worth it. That pain never gets waisted. He uses everything for His glory, hence for your growth and final liberty.
For He was, He is and He will be the God of victory.
Magdalena Malec 