Deuteronomy 5:23. "And When you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders."

Moses is reminding the people of what happened when he received the Ten Commandments. They heard the voice and saw the flaming mountain and approached Moses, knowing that he had been speaking with God.

If I heard the voice and saw the flaming mountain, would I have approached Moses, or turned away? It would be frightening in and of itself, for sure, and I further think that knowing God had spoken to someone would, in my past life, have made me wary of them - how might they convict me, just by telling me what God has said?

I'm getting this feeling as I read the Catechism. Almost every page convicts me in some way. I see my sins so clearly, and it is not pleasant, but it is necessary. I never read the Catechism before, I think that was me turning away from the voice of God as He spoke through his Church. I am now so grateful to have it, even though it's sometimes makes me feel bad about myself. This is a necessary feeling, it is me being cleansed, and I have to accept it, rather than turn away from it.

I'm so grateful that God never gives up in leading us back to Him, and that He gives us His laws so that we can live in His will and be holy.