O Adonai

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

(English:) O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

The photograph is from St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai. I love the juxtaposition of Moses taking off his sandals, and the antiphon saying “Come, save us with an outstretched arm.” Perhaps taking off our shoes or sandals is not just something people do to honour God: it is something that highlights our vulnerability and God’s strength. What are our metaphorical sandals? What do we do to protect ourselves, from one another and from God? When might we risk being more intimate, more open? And how does that prepare us for the coming of Christ?