💖 HOMILY - JULY 16 💖

First Reading - Exodus 3:1-6,9-12 

Gospel - Matthew 11:25-27

Today’s readings reveal the intimate and mysterious nature of God’s self-revelation. God chooses to make Himself known, not to the wise and learned of the world, but to the humble and receptive. This divine disclosure calls us to a relationship of wonder, trust, and mission.

In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the story of Moses encountering God in the burning bush. It is a moment of divine initiative: God appears not in grandeur or might, but in a mysterious flame that burns without consuming. Moses, a fugitive tending sheep in the wilderness, is chosen by God to lead His people. He does not seek this encounter, yet God comes to him. And God reveals Himself not only as the God of Moses’ ancestors, but as a God who has seen the suffering of His people and is moved to act. Moses, overwhelmed and hesitant, is assured that God will be with him.

This scene teaches us that God often reveals Himself in quiet and unexpected ways. He seeks out those who may seem weak or unworthy and entrusts them with great tasks, promising His presence as their strength.

In the Gospel, Jesus praises the Father for hiding the mysteries of the kingdom from the proud and revealing them to the little ones. The “little ones” here are not necessarily children, but those who are poor in spirit — humble, dependent, and open to receive. Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father, and only through Him can we truly come to know God. This knowledge is not mere intellectual understanding; it is a personal and relational knowing, born of faith and trust.

There is a striking harmony between the readings: Moses learns who God is through a personal encounter that leads him to mission, and Jesus teaches that true knowledge of God comes through a personal relationship with Him. Both emphasize that God chooses to reveal Himself to those who are open, humble, and ready to listen.

Dear friends, we too are invited to such encounters with God — perhaps not through a burning bush, but in prayer, in Scripture, in the Eucharist, and in the quiet moments of daily life. The question is: are we open to receive what God wishes to reveal? Do we approach Him with humility, or do we let pride or distraction close our hearts?

Let us ask for the grace to be counted among the “little ones” — those who listen, trust, and follow. And may our encounters with God not only lead us to deeper intimacy with Him, but also empower us, like Moses, to carry His message to the world with courage and love.