15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt? 

The Scriptures are full of unlikely heroes. Jacob engaged in fraud and trickery to get what he wanted; David was as impulsive as he was zealous; Rahab was a prostitute and belonged to an enemy tribe; and Moses, whose story we begin today, was a murderer who struggled with a speech impediment. Each of these people seemed unfit to serve the Lord, yet each one ended up playing a profound role in salvation history.

While we may view these people as heroes of the faith, we should never forget where and who they were when the Lord first called them. They are proof that, again and again, God chooses people who seem the most unlikely and least equipped rather than the candidates we might be more inclined to select instead. And praise God that this is true! It means there is hope for each of us!

When we feel that the Lord might be calling us to a particular task or to a life of greater love or holiness, we may be tempted to echo Moses’ response: “Who am I” that God should use me (Exodus 3:11)? Like Moses, we might argue that our mistakes, weaknesses, or lack of experience makes us unfit for service. But this is precisely why God calls us! He delights in using ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary plan. He chooses the foolish, the weak, and the obscure to carry out his will (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). Just look at the Virgin Mary: she considered herself among “the lowly,” and yet God chose her and lifted her up (Luke 1:52)!

God has a beautiful plan for your life. He invites you to share his goodness with the world. He will use your strengths, and even your weaknesses, to lead people closer to him. You don’t need to ask, “But who am I?” Instead, let the Spirit remind you: God has chosen you—and he always pours out grace on those he chooses! That means you can respond just as our Blessed Mother did: “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

“Yes, Lord, I believe that you can work in and through me today.”

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12
Psalm 103:1-4, 6-7
Matthew 11:25-27