Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in law, priest
of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came
to Horeb, the mountain of God. There appeared to him in the shape of a
flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was
the bush blazing but it was not being burnt up.
“I must go and look at this strange sight,” Moses said, “and see why the
bush is not burned.”
Now Yahweh saw him go forward to look, and God called to him from the
middle of the bush.
“Moses! Moses!” God said.
“Here I am,” Moses answered.
“Come no nearer,” God said, “Take off your shoes, for the place on which
you stand is Holy ground.”
The Book of Exodus 3:1-5
With the reading of this scriptural story, our superintendent Joan Carr
welcomed staff of Edmonton Catholic Schools to this school year. Our
students heard this same reading on their first day back at school. This
scriptural story is one that calls us to transform our daily lives.
Moses was out tending sheep, he was not yet a mighty prophet when God
engaged him in conversation. We will probably not see a ‘burning bush’
but we know that God is present to us in our daily encounters with
people and all of God’s creation. In our school community, God calls to
us from the students, parents and staff with whom we interact. God
whispers to us continuously by speaking our name and we are invited to
respond in faith with ‘here I am”.
Our school community is ‘holy ground’; a sacred place where we stand not
alone, but as a community of believers, before our God. By daily living
in this sacred place our year can be transformed into a season of wonder
and awe where faith, hope and love can reign. So listen carefully, tread
gently, reflect tenderly, and ‘take off your shoes’.
Blessings,
Maria and the staff of Our Lady of Victories