If they are healed,
they will rise again—
leaving behind
the trappings of guilt
and pain, like old clothing
ready for the fire.
Burn, nation,
burn to purity;
let the old notions die.
--Emily Isaacson, Hours From A Convent
Moses had the same experience when he saw God in the burning bush; he heard God say that he was concerned about the slavery of his people and had decided to deliver them through him: "I will be with you." Those who welcome this presence become the dwelling-place and, consequently, a "burning bush" of the Most High.
--Pope John Paul II, Homily of Beautification
Here is a writing that I felt was very prophetic by Father Jacques Philippe, from The Way of Trust and Love (p.78-79) c.2011
It is very touching to see how . . . young children . . . ignorant in so many ways, experienced something very similar to what a great Old Testament figure like Moses experienced. When our Lady asked them to pray for Russia, they thought at first that "Russia" was a sinful woman for whom they should intercede! Through Mary, these children entered into a very profound experience of the living God.
We needn't envy them. We won't have the same direct experience they did, but on the level of faith we can all have access to the same realities and come to know God, the littlest of us as much as the greatest, and so become "burning bushes of the Most High." This is the promise contained in Scripture:
It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. (Joel 2:28)
That is God's promise for the end times. And we are there . . . Marthe Robin, a great French mystic, announced a Pentecost of love and mercy on the whole world. it has already begun. Of course we should not start speculating about when the world will end; that is always very dangerous. The Church will last a long time yet, but we can feel an undeniable spiritual urgency. The world is suffering at many levels. The economic crises we are currently going through are only one tiny symptom; there are other, much more painful aspects . . .
St. Teresa of Avila said:
"The world is burning: now is not the time to be talking of unimportant things."
Moses began his ministry as a leader and a prophet with an encounter. He encountered the voice of God coming from a burning bush. He could not ignore God's call on his life; nor could he not see the ultimatum. He had to decide, as we all do at some point in our lives. At some point we will encounter the Living God. If we move forward, we may have the quality of Moses in both obedience and the prophetic, freeing a people from slavery. Moses lead the Israeli people out of the yoke of slavery imposed upon them by the Egyptians. How long have we been imposed upon by the world, its regulations, information, and values. The modern world has become an Egypt that will hold us as slaves unless we follow the leading of Moses. Let my people go, he said.
That was the purpose of plague. It was so Moses could say, "Let my people go."
I build my altar of stones
and light its fire.
I am its sacrifice,
an Isaac to its flames.
I will burn
in its fire,
holy and precious
as first love
unless,
what is pure
in God’s eyes
intervenes.
Like a martyr
to his pyre,
I stand
in awe
of judgment’s
blaze.
--Emily Isaacson
