Posted on agosto 2, 2024 View all Gospel Reflection
Gratitude and blessings. In life we often enjoy when people throw parties for us or give us presents.
When people help us to overcome difficult circumstances it is natural to be highly appreciative and
thankful to them for what they have done. That seems to make common sense.
However, in the first reading today we see quite the opposite. The Israelite community was grumbling
against Moses and Aaron and ultimately to the Lord God. What were they complaining about this time
you might ask?
But before we get to that, how did they get to where they were? As we remember, the Israelites had
gone to Egypt in the time of Joseph when there was a great famine and he who had been sold into
slavery, rose to the position of power where he was in fact able to provide food for the people of Egypt
and many other peoples around them. He was blessed with great wisdom and grace by God. He
welcomed and forgave his brothers for all the wrong they did to him – even trying to kill him out of
jealousy. Joseph saw the hand of the Lord God in spite of what the brothers had done to him. He said to
them “There get your father and your households, and then come to me; I will assign you the best land
in Egypt, where you will live off the fat of the land. Instruct them further: ‘Do this. Take wagons from the
land of Egypt for your children and wives and bring your father back here.’” (Gen. :18-19)
And so they arrived in Egypt, but as we know, later there came a new king in Egypt who knew nothing of
Joseph and how he had served and gained for the king the great lands, treasures and blessings. And out
of jealousy he said “See! The Israelite people have multiplied and become more numerous than we are!
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join
our enemies to fight against us, and so leave the land.” (Exodus 1:8-10) And so their situation descended
into that of a people suffering cruel slavery.
This turnabout seems a bit shocking for a people whose very success had been the fruit of Joseph’s
wisdom and attentiveness to the Lord God. But sometimes people don’t see the things when they are
blinded by ambition and jealousy. It was then out of this slavery that Moses would deliver them from
the grasp of the Pharaoh. In fact, it was not until the tenth plague when Pharaoh would say to Moses
“’Leave my people at once, you and the Israelites! Go and serve the Lord as you said. Take your flocks,
too, and your herds, as you said, and go;’” (Exodus 12:31-32) But as they were leaving, he went back on
his word and sent his army after them. But even in spite of that, Moses led them to safety through the
desert ultimately crossing the Red Sea and the Israelites “entered into the midst of the sea on dry land,
with the water as a wall to their right and to their left.” (Exodus 14:22) But as for the Egyptians, they
followed them into the sea but “as the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the horsemen. Of
all Pharaoh’s army which had followed the Israelites into the sea, not even one escaped. But the
Israelites had walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water as a wall to their right and
to their left.” (Exodus 14:28-29)
And yet now the Israelites were complaining that they had it so much better back in slavery. They were
regretting why they followed Moses. And even in spite of this, the Lord God gave His people bread from
heaven to eat – this manna in the desert.
The image of the Lord God feeding His people is very powerful and a true sign of His great love for us.
Even as he delivered them from slavery, the Lord God also wishes to deliver us today, from the bonds of
our own slavery. But are we grateful? Do we say to ourselves sometimes that we were “better off” in
sin? When we look at it from the outside, it becomes clear, but from the inside … the grass always seems
greener on the other side of the fence.
As we go forth this week, let us ask the Lord to strengthen us with the true manna – that is His Body and
Blood, so that we can have the strength to repent of our sinfulness, to be steadfast in following the Lord
and to not look back to the illusions of false pleasures.
