Radiance

God does not compete with us. He calls to us to be joined with him. He calls to us to give us the gift of his love.

As God gets closer to me, I become more luminous and more radiant.

In today's Old Testament reading, Moses is commanded by the Great I Am to remove his sandals as he is standing on holy ground.

Why? Because, as the wonderful Bishop Robert Barron tells us in his sermon today:

"Shoes enable you to go anywhere. I can walk confidently over any kind of terrain. Take your shoes off, the rocky terrain leaves you vulnerable."

Vulnerable in the sight of God. But not in a way that would allow God to take advantage of us. Hardly! It is to help us pause in our journey; to stop in the presence of God. And that presence could be the burning bush that Moses saw. Or a beautiful garden. The love two people have for each other. Or the glorious words of men inspired by God, like Bishop Barron in his sermon.

By pausing - or stopping - in the presence of God, whatever form that takes for you, is to allow yourself to hear what God wants you to hear. The rustling of the leaves on the trees, or the mere buds on that tree - are gifts from God's creation. Each one has something to tell us of God. Each one has a message for us from our Lord - some are small and quiet, like the joy of the first Crocus coming up after a long winter. And some are loud and raucous, like the friendly song of the Wren or the burble of the Bluebird.

God - knows all of us. He heard the cries of the enslaved Jews in Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of subjugated people, voices united in a desperate song for freedom.

Or me (or you) - our humble, little voices breaking thru the clanging of the world, in search of God's grace, his infinite mercy. Seeking the kind of freedom that can only be found in God's presence.

Seek him. Keep your eyes and ears open for even the softest of calls from our Lord. He is there, always. Just waiting for us to hear him, so he can draw us closer to him.