Dear friends in Christ
One of the most graphic and oft commented upon passages in the Bible is the moment when Moses encounters God in the Burning Bush. There are several reasons why God revealed Himself in this way. First, God reveals Himself as a fire in that it is an image of His holiness. All through the Bible, fire is used as a picture of the purifying and refining quality of God’s holiness. This is further evidenced when God commands Moses to remove his sandals “for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Here God was emphasising to Moses the distance between the divine and the human. God is transcendent in His holiness, so Moses was not allowed to come close to Him. Holiness involves separation. God’s holiness means that He is set apart from everything He has made.
Second, God revealed Himself to Moses out of the Burning Bush as an image of His glory. Though this manifestation was frightening its purpose was to reveal the sheer majesty of God and to stand as a visible reminder to Moses and his people during the dark times ahead. Importantly, God gave Moses His own personal name: God 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”. There are several reasons why God did this. The Egyptians had many gods by many different names. Moses wanted to know God’s name so the Hebrew people would know exactly who had sent him to them. God called Himself I AM, a name which describes His eternal power and unchangeable character. By identifying Himself as “I AM,” God is declaring that He always exists in the immediate ‘now’. He isn’t bound by time as we are. There was never a time when God was not. He has no fixed point when He was born or brought into being. He has no beginning nor end. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.
Today, the only way for us to come into the presence of a holy God is to become holy ourselves. This is why God sent Jesus to be our Saviour. We could never keep God’s Law by our own power, but Jesus shows us how to, with perfect holiness. When Jesus died on the Cross He took away all of our unholiness, exchanging His righteousness for our unrighteousness. The grace that God has shown through the Cross enables us to approach the Holy One—not as Moses did, hiding his face in fear—but by faith, trusting and believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
On Friday 25th March—Solemnity of The Annunciation—Pope Francis will Consecrate Russia and The Ukraine to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. He will do this during a Penitential Service in St Peter’s Basilica at 5pm, Rome time. At the same time a Papal Delegate will make the Act of Consecration in Fatima. In the apparition of 13 July 1917, in Fatima, Our Lady had asked for the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, stating that if this request were not granted, Russia would spread its errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecution of the Church. The good, she added, will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be destroyed. We shall also make this Act of Consecration on that day here in the Parish which will take place at the end of the midday Mass this coming Friday 25th, and will be repeated during the Lenten Devotions and Benediction in the evening. Please make an effort to join with Pope Francis in this important Act of Consecration, to help bring about peace in Europe and for the conversion of the people of war and violence.
May God bless you on this continued pilgrimage towards Easter!
Msgr Kevin Hale