SAINT CAMILLUS DE LELLIS, PRIEST (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him. 

The Book of Exodus relates one of the most memorable and iconic events in history. The descendants of Abraham were being oppressed, exploited, and mistreated, and God performed mighty wonders and parted the sea to deliver them!

In today’s first reading, we see how that story began: with the love and courage of a mother. Facing Pharaoh’s death sentence on all baby boys of the Hebrew race (Exodus 1:22), this poor woman didn’t have any good options. She only knew that if she didn’t take action, her son would be killed. So she put him in a basket in the river, sent her daughter to keep an eye on him, and hoped for the best. How happy she must have been when Pharaoh’s daughter saved him (2:5-10)! And how blessed we are that this boy, Moses, grew up to become such a powerful instrument in the hands of the Lord!

Moses’ mother was faced with a momentous decision, and she had to make it without the benefit of a prophetic declaration guiding her or the assurance that her baby would live. Even so, God was at work, paving the way for him to deliver his people from Egypt. Through this woman’s decision, God was able to bring about his plan to rescue Israel.

We all face difficult decisions at times. Medical treatments, work-related dilemmas, bumpy relationships, and the like can all require hard choices. We can’t always discern which path is the right one or what the outcome will be. This story, however, can reassure us that God is intimately involved in our lives and working through our decisions. What’s more, even if we make what in retrospect seems like the wrong decision, we can trust that God will bring about something good from it.

Maybe you are facing a difficult decision right now, or perhaps you are wondering if a previous decision was the right one. Remember that you don’t know the whole story—but God does! So even as you make hard choices, you can trust that he is always working, even if you can’t see it just yet. He is always bringing about his intentions, not only for you, but for the whole world.

“Lord God, I praise you for working in my life, even when I can’t see it.”

Exodus 2:1-15
Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
Matthew 11:20-24