Daily Readings - Thu Jul 20 2023
Exodus
13Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"14God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"15God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.16"Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.17And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites-a land flowing with milk and honey.'18"The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.20So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of divine revelation and invitation. In the first reading from Exodus, Moses stands before the burning bush, and God reveals His name as “I AM WHO AM,” a declaration of His eternal and unchanging nature. This revelation is not just a philosophical statement but a promise of God’s presence and action in the lives of His people. God commissions Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, promising to guide and empower him for the task. The reading reminds us that God’s identity is deeply tied to His relationship with us, and His name becomes our hope and strength in times of uncertainty.
In the Gospel, Jesus extends an invitation to all who are weary and burdened: “Come to me, and I will refresh you.” These words, spoken in the midst of His ministry, reveal the heart of Jesus as one who desires to lift our burdens and give us rest. Jesus does not promise an easy life, but He offers us a different way of carrying our burdens—one that is shaped by His meekness and humility. His yoke is “sweet” and His burden “light” because He walks with us, sharing the weight of our struggles and teaching us to trust in His providence.
Both readings invite us to reflect on the nature of trust and surrender. Moses had to trust in God’s promise, even when the task seemed impossible. Jesus invites us to trust in His love, even when the road ahead seems heavy. In our daily lives, we are often tempted to rely on our own strength or to carry our burdens alone. But the readings remind us that true freedom and peace come from surrendering to God’s will and trusting in His presence. Like Moses, we are called to step out in faith, knowing that God goes before us. Like the weary disciples, we are invited to find rest in Christ, who bears our burdens with us. Let us learn to embrace the humility and trust that these readings inspire, and may we find the strength to follow God’s path, no matter where it leads.