My dear Family in Christ:

One of the lessons we learn from reflecting upon the story of the people of Israel being freed from slavery by God through the leadership of Moses is that the people were not always happy about their rescue. There were moments during the journey from slavery through the desert to the promised land that tested the faithfulness of the people and the patience of Moses. While it would be ideal to say the people never resented being freed, the first reading of this Sunday’s Mass reminds us that, not for the only time, the “people grumbled against Moses and Aaron,” and by extension, God. Is there a lesson here for us?

We may not be in a situation where we are literally being held captive by a foreign power or political leader, but there are times when we can seem to be resistant to being brought from an old life of sin that seems familiar and comfortable, to a life of virtue and holiness that requires sacrifice. As we are being led to a deeper relationship with Christ it requires that we be willing more and more to let go of the past, which may seem to be better than what the Lord is calling us to. We sometimes prefer to stay put where we are because it is known and predictable. To follow Christ demands we be open to the unknown and sometimes the uncomfortable. Leaving sin and selfishness behind in order to grow as disciples is never an easy task.

What the story of the Israelites journey through the desert teaches us is that to reach our true home requires a willingness to trust even when life becomes more challenging.  They grumbled and complained but eventually learned to trust more and more in God’s plan for them, the same must become true for us. As we are called to leave old lives behind. As we are invited to believe that sin and selfishness must be replaced by virtue and selflessness, like the Israelites there may be times when we will grumble because the journey seems to0 hard or difficult, but it is then that we must remember that the Lord provided for His people in the desert (manna and quail), and that He provides for us with His Word, His Church and his very Body and Blood in the Eucharist. We must strive to reject the temptation to go back to the old way of life that leads, not to salvation, but to sin and separation from God.

Though we may occasionally grumble like the Israelites in the reading this weekend, may we never allow the grumbling to overwhelm what we know to be true, God will always provide for us and give us what we need to reach the Promised Land.  It will require sacrifice and perseverance on our part without a doubt, but it will always be worth it.

In Christ,

+John J, McDermott

Bishop of Burlington