Article 1 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

From The Catechism of the Catholic Church

2575
Here again the initiative is God’s. From the midst of the burning bush he calls
Moses.²⁰ This event will remain one of the primordial images of prayer
in the spiritual tradition of Jews and Christians alike. When “the God of
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob” calls Moses to be his servant, it is
because he is the living God who wants men to live. God reveals himself in
order to save them, though he does not do this alone or despite them: he caLls
Moses to be his messenger, an associate in his compassion, his work of
salvation. There is something of a divine plea in this mission, and only after
long debate does Moses attune his own will to that of the Savior God. But in
the dialogue in which God confides in him, Moses also learns how to pray: he
balks, makes excuses, above all questions: and it is in response to his question
that the Lord confides his ineffable name, which will be revealed through his
mighty deeds.