Finding Holiness in the Ordinary

While reading Carey Walsh’s Chasing Mystery (Walsh is a professor of theology at Villanova University), I came across this exposition of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush, which I found to be really illuminating:

Moses noticed something out of the ordinary, the subtlety of the branches not being consumed by the fire. This subtlety for him was worth a second look and would presumably take a few moments to notice. Then God called him. In other words, the scene depicts not overpowering divine presence but rather a relational give-and-take between God and Moses. God, as it were, waits for Moses to notice. Moses, for his part, did not read the bush as an object; he encountered it. Divine presence is inviting rather than coercive. Moses was someone who was paying attention. He has the makings of faith in him, the attentiveness. It is a test of sorts from God, a test for readiness, not merit, as if God were saying, “If Moses notices the difference, then I shall speak to him.” . . . I want here to propose Moses as a model for approaching holiness, specifically that of the Holy Scriptures. Whereas God initiates by manifesting his presence–revelation–Moses is receptive. There is something already primed in Moses to slow down and pay attention to the ordinary, from which the holy blooms.

 

Learning how to notice, how to observe, how to see the slight variation: a reminder of how the relationship with God can hinge upon skills and capacities that don’t necessarily have an immediate connection with theology. What an insight for educators. The more a person hones his or her capacities for patient, careful attention, the more one is readying oneself for finding God in all things.