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The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the first reading today from Exodus (EX 16:2-3) they complained because they did not have enough food. The supplies they carried with them from Egypt began to run out, and they had to be sustained in the wilderness. In my New Year’s resolutions, I asked the Lord for help in being patient, not complaining, and to Trust in the Lord. We all anticipate when something bad may happen to us or our families, and instead of doing something about it… we choose to complain about it first.

The Jews in the first reading had not yet experienced starvation, but they anticipated it. They had not yet witnessed weeks and weeks of famine, nor see their family and friends die of malnutrition. Neither did they have to kill and eat all their livestock. Instead, they had just started to feel hungry and immediately
anticipated starvation.

The Israelites had selective memory. They didn’t remember the bad times they lived as slaves to the Egyptians, but they thought of their time in Egypt as a good time. They lost sight of God’s future for them, and they talked about the past to support their complaints. This is what we do
when we talk about “the good old days”.

“Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine.” (EX16:3). This is another common practice among those who complain. They insisted that Moses and Aaron had bad or evil intentions. Sometimes we insist that others have evil intentions towards us. Of course, Moses and Aaron had no interest in killing the people of Israel, and this was a horrible accusation to make. Yet a complaining heart often finds it easy to accuse the person they complain  against of the worst motives.

As I write this reflection Coleen and I are travelling for a month in Ireland. As the curmudgeon that I am (and have been told that I am), I started the trip complaining about all the typical things that didn’t go my way. I got the middle seat on the airplane. I complained about how a mid-sized SUV at the rental agency is really a small SUV by American standards. I complained about how they drive on the wrong
side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the wrong side of the car. I complained about the low doorways in the old cottages we rented and the antique heating systems. I complained about how it seems to rain more than the sun shines. But the longer we stayed in Ireland, the more I started to count my blessings and stop complaining. When the sun shines briefly, IT REALLY SHINES! It turns the hills so green and the flowers are much more colorful.

God gave them manna from heaven. (EX 16:4,12-15) God promised to send bread from heaven, but He didn’t promise to drop it into their mouths. They still had to go out and gather what they needed for every day. God provided for them, but they did not recognize it. When God’s provision comes, we often do not recognize it. God met the needs of Israel, but He did it in a way they did not expect.

~ Deacon Mike McDonald


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