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Long, long ago when I was in college at Notre Dame of Maryland (now a university), we had a three-day silent retreat every year. I had never been silent for three days in my entire life. During those days I experienced God’s call to be a Mission Helper of the Sacred Heart. My reply to God was, “Here I am.”  I thought I was the only one since Creation who had answered God so simply. When I read the Bible, I found amazing people using those very words repeatedly.

Today, in the reading from Exodus, Chapter 3, God speaks from the burning bush, “Moses! Moses!”  Moses replies, “Here I am.”  I think in this historic reading, we can find many ways to continue to enter into the season of Lent. Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep. Most of us are busy, even in Lent. The desert would have been quiet. Can I find five or ten minutes to set aside for quiet time? God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was on Holy Ground. Would taking off my shoes for this amount of time help me realize that this is holy time? Hear God call your name and just be present to the One who loves you. If you choose, you can say, “Here I am.”  The absolute best thing you can do is be quiet and let God love you.

Blessings on your Lenten journey.