Sunday 4 August 2024

Today is Sunday 4 August, beginning the 18th week of Ordinary Time. The community of Taizé sing Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini: Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord. Today’s reading is from the Book of Exodus. Exodus 16:2-4,12-15 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” ’ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. In the story of the Exodus, the People of Israel often felt that a mistake had been made. They or Moses or God had somehow messed up. They had to learn to trust through the experiences of being stretched for a while and then seeing God’s faithful providence. Interestingly, annoyingly, God allows times of testing. This is a mark of the spiritual life according to all the mystics. A God who seems to withhold consolation for a period of time. Do you have an answer as to why that might be? The tradition gives several answers. Here are three of them. Testing times are a test of character, and of how much we trust God. They give us self-knowledge. They also test us in the sense of purifying us: they train us to seek the God of consolation more than the consolations of God. And they encourage us to put our trust more deeply in God. This strengthens our resolve and our character. The image that is sometimes used is of a plant that has deeper roots in a dry climate. Do any of these explanations make sense to you? Listen again and notice how you would want to respond if you were one of those Israelites being tested . . . To trust in the goodness of God, even in trials . . . What do you want to say to God? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.