Holy Ground — Pilgrims of Hope
As I am sure we all know by now, we are in a Holy Year or, to put it another way, a Jubilee Year—2025. This week we will reach the first quarter day of the year—25th March. The signs of Spring (I marvelled at the Magnolia tree in full bud on Silver Street earlier today) reveal that time is passing swiftly. If we are not careful, the Jubilee will be done and dusted. What shall we do to make this year holy and special, a real celebration?
In this Sunday’s first reading we make a spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Horeb (or Sinai) with Moses. There the Lord speaks to him out of the bush. He instructs Moses to keep his distance and take his sandals off. The place where he is standing is holy ground. Moses is afraid to look at God; a holy fear has fallen upon him.
Out of this fearful experience Moses is emboldened to go to the people of Israel and assure them of God’s loving mercy. He has not forgotten them. On the contrary, He will ‘deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey’.
And so the Exodus saga begins, and we will hear more of it in Holy Week, especially on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday. We are the people of God in this day and age. He speaks to us as He spoke out of the burning bush. What might He be asking of us here and now? Might we become a people who truly depend on Him and who see His work and His grace around us and within us.
With my prayers,
Father Daniel
A Prayer for Lady Day – Tuesday
O Mary, Blessed Mother of God, when the angel greeted you,
you were surprised and fearful; yet, in wonder you listened
and opened your heart to the divine message.
Your life had been ordinary,
like so many of Adam’s children,
but your ‘yes’ changed your life and led to the salvation of us all,
because you invited Christ Our Lord to grow inside of you.
Mother of Our Saviour,
help me to open my heart to the Father’s will in my life.
Pray for me to the Lord God,
as I pray to Him.
Amen.
