After reading and reflecting on today’s Word of God, two verses stood out…can you guess what they were?
The first was, “We are disgusted with this wretched food!” And the second is when the Pharisees ask Jesus, “Who are you?”
When I was a kid, the first time I missed my Mom’s cooking was my first camping trip with the Boy Scouts. But it was only for a weekend.
In today’s first reading, the Israelites are in the desert; it’s been a long journey; they’re tired, hungry, and thirsty, and to make matters worse, the food they do get isn’t home cooking.
If you’ve ever been on a long trip, maybe a hard one in a country that serves different food than you like, perhaps you can relate.
One thing we can learn from this reading is that the children of Israel, in their day-to-day life’s hardships, lost track of the big picture, God rescuing them from torture and death. God saved them, and now He has Moses leading them to the Promised Land.
We sometimes have a parallel experience where we’ve cried out to God for a loved one or ourselves in desperation and received help, but a resolution hasn’t happened; we’re heading in the right direction, but the journey is a day-by-day process.
As I was thinking of this, it dawned on me that no one ever said, I want to stay longer in this hospital because I love the food! Yet, they stay because they need testing, surgery, and treatment as part of their journey of healing.
My brothers and sisters, as we move through this Lenten Season, this might be the part when we feel like the Israelites: tired or frustrated or disappointed; maybe all of the above! This is when we need to pray for the patient endurance to stay with Jesus and each other as we grow in spiritual strength and holy perseverance.
God sees where we are in relationship to Him and each other and prompts us to confess our sins and go to Him in Confession to be healed like the Israelites when they looked upon that bronze serpent on the pole.
We can believe that we will be forgiven and strengthened in the Sacrament of Confession because Jesus was raised upon the wood of the Cross for our sins. If God could use that bronze serpent to heal the people, imagine the power of healing that comes through His Son, Jesus.
My brothers and sisters, whenever we, our family members or friends, get worn down by the journey, bring them to Jesus, and have them look at Him on the Cross, believing that He’s the One to lead us through any time, even when we don’t see how it can work.
May God bless you and your families this holy day as we help one another by staying close to Jesus and His healing power while praying together for our needs.
Reverend David S. Marcham is the Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton, and Director of the Father Peyton Guild, whose members pray for Father Peyton’s beatification and spread his message of the importance of Family Prayer. Prior to becoming a seminarian, Father David was a physical therapist and clinical instructor, serving hospital inpatients and outpatients throughout the greater Boston area for eleven years. In 1998 he heard the call to priesthood and was ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2005. Father David grew up in Quincy, MA, and has fond memories of playing soccer, tennis and running track. You’re never without a friend when Father David is around, as he welcomes everyone into his circle with a smile on his face!
