Daily Readings - Wed Jul 19 2023
Exodus
1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.11And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
Matthew
25At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.26Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.27All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of divine encounter and revelation. In the first reading from Exodus, Moses is tending his father-in-law’s sheep when he comes upon a burning bush. This is no ordinary bush, for it is ablaze with fire yet remains unharmed. From this bush, God speaks to Moses, calling him by name and commissioning him to lead the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt. Moses, humbled and awestruck, questions his own worthiness for such a task, but God assures him, “I will be with you.” This exchange reminds us that God often calls the unlikely and the hesitant to fulfill great purposes, and that His presence is our greatest assurance.
In the Gospel, Jesus offers a prayer of thanksgiving to the Father, praising Him for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to the “little ones” while hiding them from the wise and the learned. Jesus emphasizes that all things have been handed over to Him by the Father, and that no one truly knows the Father except through the Son. This passage invites us to embrace humility and simplicity of heart, for it is in such a posture that we are most open to receiving God’s revelation and grace.
Both readings call us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like Moses, we may feel inadequate or unworthy when faced with challenges or opportunities to serve. Yet, God’s promise to Moses—“I will be with you”—is a promise extended to us as well. Like the “little ones” in the Gospel, we are invited to approach God with childlike faith, trusting that His ways are beyond our understanding but always rooted in love. Let us, therefore, embrace humility, trust in God’s presence, and remain open to the ways He may be calling us to serve and grow in our faith.