Moses and me

Moses has a problem.  Things are going well for him, but God has another plan and Moses cannot stop telling God how nonsensical, silly, and fruitless this plan is bound to be.  “Who am I,” he exclaims, to ask the Pharaoh to free the Israelites.  He goes on complaining that nobody will believe that he was sent by God, he doesn’t even know God’s name.  Once God tells him, Moses still says they still won’t believe him.  God gives him the stick/snake trick, yet Moses remains unhappy.  He complains that he just isn’t a very good speaker, slow of speech, and all that.

But God continues to reassure Moses, insisting that all will be well, and the rest is history.

Just as God called Moses to a particular vocation, He has called each of us to a particular, individual vocation.  Yet, even though we each have this particular vocation, there is one element of vocation that each of us shares.  It is a universal vocation for every Christian.  It is a call to holiness; it is a call to be one with Jesus; it a call to be a perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect; it is a call to be a saint.  And all we have to do is to form our self-centered wills to the other-centered will of God, pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

For most of my life, I’ve operated in Moses-mode.  I’ve got lots of objections, issues and fears.

First, pride kicks in.  After all, I’m doing pretty well on my own.  People think I’m a nice guy.  I work hard.   I give my share to charities, and help out whenever I can.  Do I really have to change much?  Can’t I do finish this up on my own?  God has one answer for me – the crucifix.  If I could do this on my own, if I could just go my own way, why would Jesus have had to suffer this for me?

Okay, if I have to change, how am I supposed to know what to do or where to go?  God has three answers for me – the Bible, the Catechism, and the lives of the saints.  The word of God, the wisdom of the Church’s teachings, and the examples of those who have gone ahead of me, what better map do I need?

Yeah, but isn’t this a lifelong journey?  That’s scary.  Do I have the strength or discipline to do this?   God has seven answers for me – the Sacraments, where His Spirit fills me with his grace and courage, feeds me with his body and blood, and heals me with his mercy.

I have one last fear, and it’s a big one.  I’m easily distracted.  Satan keeps telling me there are a lot more attractive options that God’s offer of holiness.  These options offer the three p’s that can turn anyone’s head – pleasure, possessions and power.  God offers another p as a counter to these distractions – prayer, not simply my own prayer, but the thousands of pray-ers who have prayed for me – my mom and His mom figure high on this list – and who continue to pray for me today.

You are called, as I am called, to walk the same road.  Pray for me, as I pray for you, that we see what God has provided to overcome our deepest objections and greatest fears; that we persevere in following Jesus - to our destiny, to holiness, to sainthood.