“FIRST IMPRESSIONS”

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT -C-
MARCH 23, 2025

Exodus 3: 1-8a, 13-15; Psalm 103;
1 Corinthians 10: 1-6, 10-12; Luke 13: 1-9

by Jude Siciliano, OP

Dear Preachers:

In today’s Exodus reading, one of my favorite biblical phrases appears: “Here I am.” This is Moses’ response to God’s call. “Here I am” is also the response given by other biblical figures when God calls their names. Jacob responds this way to the angel in his dream (Gen 31:11). Samuel answers repeatedly in this manner, initially thinking that Eli is calling him (1 Sam 3:4-6, 8). Other examples include Abraham (Gen 22:1-2) and Isaiah (Isa 6:8).

Today, it is Moses who responds at the burning bush when God calls his name: “Here I am.” This phrase expresses an openness to God’s call, even when the person does not yet know what will be asked of them. Each of these call stories marks a significant turning point in the lives of those who hear and respond, shaping salvation history. A key feature of these stories is their pattern: it is always God who calls first, and then the person responds.

God initiates the call to Moses simply by calling his name: “Moses, Moses.” To this, Moses replies, “Here I am.” This is a classic call-response story. The encounter between God and Moses takes place at the burning bush. In the Bible, fire often symbolizes God’s presence (e.g., the pillar of fire in Exodus 13:21). As Moses approaches the bush, he says, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight and see why the bush is not burned.” The burning bush is symbolic: Israel will endure many sufferings but will not be consumed. God is not deaf to the suffering of God’s people, but chooses a leader, Moses, and empowers him to aid the distressed and enslaved Israelites.

Moses does not seem like a likely candidate to lead a great nation. At this point, he is merely a shepherd, and the flock he tends does not even belong to him. So far in the narrative, he has shown no obvious leadership qualities. This reflects a common biblical theme: God often surprises us by choosing the least likely people to aid the lowly, needy, or powerless – those who cannot free themselves from oppression under the heavy hand of others.

However, the focus of the narrative is not so much on the Israelites’ need, but on the Lord’s initiative. This is evident in the angel’s appearance to Moses in the fire and in God speaking to him from the bush. (“The angel of the Lord” is often the Bible’s reverent way of referring to God.) Perhaps there is a Lenten theme here.

On the First Sunday of Lent, we heard how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days (Lk 4:1-13). It was a desolate place, and Jesus was hungry. Similarly, today’s passage tells us that Moses is “leading the flock across the desert” when he arrives at Horeb, a name meaning “desolate place.” As Moses approaches the burning bush, God calls out to him, and Moses responds, “Here I am.” Then God tells him to remove his sandals.

This scene is a reminder of Lent: like Moses, we find ourselves in a desolate place, but it is made holy by God’s presence. We might imagine that an encounter with God should take place in a lush, serene setting—a place with flowing streams, shade trees, grass, singing birds, and gentle wild animals. But instead, Moses finds God in a barren, inhospitable place, just as we may encounter God in the dry, challenging places of our own lives. Surprise!

God appears to Moses to announce that He is ready to act. Moses is not in the temple when God speaks to him but among the Midianites, not the Israelites. Yet God is about to liberate God’s people from slavery in Egypt.

The God of Moses’ ancestors speaks to him in the most unlikely of places. We must not confine God just to sacred spaces like chapels, prayer rooms, or tranquil meadows. God reaches out to Moses in the desert. What does this tell us about our own Lenten journey? Lent is a season for us to recognize the desert places in our lives and seek God’s revelation there.

Though deserts may seem barren, they are where we can hear God most clearly. There God calls us to silence and prayer so that we can hear God’s still, small voice speaking to our hearts. Lent leads us to Easter, where we receive the grace that frees us from sin and promises us life.

Both today’s readings from Exodus and Luke take place in the desert. In the Bible, the desert is depicted as a place of spiritual trial, purification, and transformation. Lent invites us to go within – to the desert of our hearts – to examine our spiritual lives and confront the distractions that pull us away from God. Because of this spiritual testing and the transformation it brings, the desert can be a holy place for us. It was in the desert that Moses encountered the holiness of God, heard his name called, and received his mission to save his people.

When Lent begins, some people groan, “Here we go again!” It is indeed a challenging time—– a season of testing and purification. But it is also a time when we can encounter God and have our spirits renewed by the joy of the resurrection.

When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they wandered for forty years before entering the Promised Land. During their journey, they were tested and purified. They learned to trust God, who fed them with manna and provided water from the rock. God also nourished them spiritually with the commandments, guiding them in right relationship with Him and with one another.

Lent is our opportunity to imitate those Israelites – to let go of our attachments, vices, and sins, and to turn more fully to God, who alone offers us true life. Our Lenten desert is not only about struggle and testing; it is also a time of renewal, a season in which we can hear God’s word more clearly and serve God more joyfully with renewed hearts and minds.

Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032325-YearC.cfm