14 July 2021, General Week 15 - Wednesday
FIRST READING
"The angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flame of a burning bush"
A Reading from the book of Exodus (3, 1-6. 9-12)
In those days,
Moses was the shepherd of the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
priest of Midian.
He led the flock beyond the wilderness
and came to the mountain of God, at Horeb.
The angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flame
of a burning bush.
Moses looked: the bush was burning
without being consumed.
Moses then said to himself:
"I am going to make a detour
to see this extraordinary thing:
why is the bush not being consumed? "
The Lord saw that he had made a detour to see,
God called to him from the bush,
" Moses! Moses! "
He said,
" Here I am! "
God said,
"Stay away from here!"
Take the sandals off your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground! "
And he said:
" I am the God of thy father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, God of Jacob. »
Moses hid his face
because he was afraid to focus his gaze on God.
The Lord said,
“Now the cry of the children of Israel has reached me,
and I have seen the oppression that the Egyptians put on them.
Now go!
I am sending you to Pharaoh:
you will bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. »
Moses said to God:
« Who am I to go and find Pharaoh,
and to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? "
God answered him:
" I am with you.
And this is the sign that it is I who sent you:
when you bring my people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this mountain. "
- Word of the Lord.