Each of us is familiar with at least one – if not several – what we might call “God moments” in which God reveals himself in Sacred Scripture. We find one of those profound “God moments” in today’s First Reading from Exodus 3:1- 8a, 13-15. Here we read of Moses’ encounter with God speaking to him from a burning bush that was not being consumed by the flames! Wouldn’t we give anything to witness such a profound “God moment”?
The reality is that when we witness the birth of a child, or that child’s Baptism, we witness a most profound “God moment.” When we lovingly prepare a special meal for our family or serve a warm meal to the homeless, we witness a most profound “God moment.” We should not allow ourselves to think that all the God moments have passed by and are only history. These profound holy moments of God’s love intersecting with our lives play out every day. We must be attentive or they may pass by unnoticed. As we heard in today’s Gospel (Luke 13:1-8), we are not to grumble like an unbeliever about a non-producing fig tree. Rather, we are to till the soil and fertilize around the fig tree in hopes that it will bear abundant fruit.
As believers in God’s unconditional love for us, we know that all of God’s holy moments have not passed us by. Every time that we gather for Mass, we participate in one of the most profound “God moments” known to humankind, and we are invited to partake in one of the most profound ways that God is made present to us.
During Holy Communion, when Christ is really and truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Lord Jesus nourishes us with the gift of Himself. We come forward to receive the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, so that we may be drawn closer to him and then share his light and love with others by the witness of our lives. Let us always be open to the many and varied ways that God wants to work in and through us, so that others might experience God’s love for them in and through our actions. May we recognize those “God moments,” appreciate them, and share them with others.