God wants you: Homily for Thursday, July 17, 2025

Moses might seem like the least likely person to lead the Israelites. Yet even though Moses was a murderer, God chose him. He wanted him to do his will. And God wants you too. Readings for Today.

God wants you

There was a former Dominican provincial who lived in the studentate who was trying to encourage the student brothers by not following the example of typical Dominicans. And here’s what he meant. Typically Dominicans in the studentate will look, and that’s senior community too, they’ll look and say, “I wonder if that plant needs a little bit of water. Someone should check on that. That plant needs to be watered. Someone should water it. That plant is dying. Why isn’t anybody watering it? The plant is dead.”

And sometimes in our own spiritual life we can kind of develop that attitude when it comes to God. Someone should go and do something about the horrible treatment that the Israelites are receiving at the hands of Pharaoh. Someone should do that. And today we get the someone, Moses.

Now Moses is a complicated figure as we know and have heard over the past few days. Complicated because on the one hand he really is the figure of the Old Testament for his following of God, for his faith, for his really putting up with Israelites that I don’t think I would have been able to put up with at all. And there is that side and that really is what defines Moses in fairness. But Moses is also a murderer.

And in some ways then as he comes before the Lord in the burning bush, he’s the least likely I think to be chosen to go back to the country where he committed murder in the first place. But God can see his heart. God can see his will. Now we don’t get a lot of parts in here about how Moses responds to God telling him to go to Pharaoh and to speak of the difficulties. He doesn’t want to go because he doesn’t know God’s name. He doesn’t want to go because what if Pharaoh doesn’t listen to me? He doesn’t want to go because he’s not a really eloquent speaker. Finally God has enough and just says, “Go.” And Moses does.

We can be like that when God searches us out as well. You know I’ve been in parishes where there is a great desire to do all kinds of things but not the desire to actually do something that we can do. What is it in your life that you put forth to God as an excuse as to why you can’t do what God wants you to do?

Maybe it’s, “God I don’t have time for prayer. I’m too busy.” Maybe it’s something like, “Oh God you know that I have this very very important job and I certainly couldn’t lead it. People depend on me.” Whatever it is, what is it that keeps you from answering God’s call? The solution to getting there is today’s gospel. The solution to knowing, well how is it we can develop the grace to say yes to God?

Because on some level of course we want to accept the call of God. We want to do what God wants us to do. And Jesus tells us how we get there. “Come to me. Come to me with your labors, your burdens. I’ll give you rest. You will find rest if you come to me. You will find the way to follow God if you come to me. You will find the way to believe that God has given you all you need to follow him if you come to me.” Everything is really about the heart of Christ and joining our hearts with his.

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