10: 1-6 & 10-12; Luke 13: 1-9 Israel's journey from slavery to freedom began with a burning bush. Moses allowed himself to consider what he had seen. "I must go and look at this strange sight and see why the bush is not burnt."
An unexplained bush fire, common enough in itself, became the turning point in Israel's history. Moses was drawn into the presence of God and became the spokesman for the God who had seen the miserable state of his people. The long journey from slavery to freedom had begun.
God calls to us, in less dramatic ways, as he called to Moses. When we look into ourselves we become aware of countless incidents and situations that have touched our Lives. In themselves they might have been insignificant: a chance meeting, a phrase in the scriptures, something that we have read. Sadly, we generally pass over such thoughts and rush on to the next thing. Moses surrendered himself to the moment, and in so doing was drawn to holy ground, to the presence of God himself. Throughout our lives, and especially during Lent, we should develop a sensitivity to the many ways in which God is calling to us.
When we witness the goodness of others, we should not take such goodness for granted. We should allow the moment to become the holy ground in which God reveals himself to us. When we witness the pain and confusion caused by sin, our own included, we should not pass by untouched. This is the holy ground in which God's forgiveness and compassion are revealed. When we feel a pang of conscience, we should not drive it to the back of our minds. This is the holy ground on which God calls us to repentance.
Like Moses, we should allow ourselves to be drawn into the presence of God. For Moses, there was the burning bush; for us, Christ's continuing presence in the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation. God's holy ground is to be found in the heart of every believer.
St Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, pointed to the hard lesson of Israel's history. For years God had watched over his people as they wandered through the wilderness. Every moment of