Third Stage: The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-12)

Theme: The LORD calls you.

The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided, "I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am." God said, "Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your father," he continued, "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. But the LORD said, "I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So indeed the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them. Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.

Let us meditate on when we cried out to God and how He looked at us, loved us, and called us to get out of our past and move towards the future; from darkness to light; from death to life; from slavery to freedom.

Let us meditate on how our hearts were set on fire; how God instilled within us the desire to follow Him; and how we saw His signs and experienced His powerful presence.

Let us pray for all those called to consecrated life or to married life, for all those whose hearts are on fire to follow the Lord, so that they may find the proper place to sanctify their lives.  


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For Spiritual Direction

This stage goes from the moment you cried out to God to the moment you follow God’s call.

 The length of this stage depends from one person to another. Some people experience the Burning Bush for 3 years others for a few months. Usually, this stage does not last more than 4 years. All people experience the end of “The Burning Bush” stage at the moment they respond to God’s call.

 In this stage, you experience God’s Presence in a powerful way. God is a priority. For the first time, God became personal. He is no more distant.

A cry for help:

 - voices saying, “you’re not gonna make it, you’re doomed.” felt scared, crying, sobbing.

 - started going to Mass

 - I can’t do this anymore. you take my heart because I can’t protect it.

 - crying to the Lord and he was there: you have 2 ways: 1- suicide = your way

                                                                                  2- life = God’s way.

 - prayed the Rosary, felt the presence of God

 - cried out to God

 - please God help me: “I’m sorry for what I have done. I won’t do it again.”

 - I walked out of that place: “I’ll never come back again.”

 - I needed to be in Church. Send me teachers.

 - “If you really exist, I need to know now.”

 - “I am looking for Jesus and I believe you can help me.”

 - Jesus if you’re real come into my heart and make me happy.

 - the need to be healed, to find peace. couldn’t show emotions only anger. didn’t express feelings. couldn’t cry for many years.

God’s powerful Presence:

 - baptism in the Spirit.

 - do you wanna be happy? yes I want to be happy

 - felt hot, cried, so beautiful. I was sobbing, Jesus loves me.

 - my heart began to stir within me.

 - experienced peace, love, cried, wept, God is here.

 - a man prayed over me.

 - read the Bible, presence of God, refreshed, quit drugs

 - invited to a community, touched by the music (choir)

 - dialogue with God. God is real, met Jesus, felt all her guilt

 - “why we don’t go to Church?”

 - evangelization on TV. big turning point, a couple tried to evangelize her.

 - meeting with a group, met a Christian woman/man

 - vision of Jesus. A homily struck her. “I found the Lord.”

 God’s call:

 “follow me wherever I lead you”.

 - God told me he wants me to live with you.

 - what to do? how can I enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

 - healed of anger, quit drugs, first time talked about abuse

 - a decision: “I don’t want to do sex with other men.”

 - joined a community, get married, searching for a church where people are on fire.

 - “Lord put me where you want me to be.”

 - hope

 - I am calling you to be a priest

 - I want to be Catholic.

 - started looking for people practicing Catholicism.

 - read a lot about God, tapes, books

 - I want to repay for all the wrong I had done

 - “to trust me is to love me. Come follow me.”

 - use me Lord in a profound way to lead others to you

 - Ephesians 4:23

 - a call to bring many people to Jesus

 - desires to holiness, sainthood.

 Man’s response:

I need to be set free- I need to get out- I need to find him- I desire freedom from this bondage- felt like inside a cage and can’t get out-