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Year B: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15
As might be expected, the First Reading takes up the comments made by the people about Moses’ providing food for their ancestors in the desert.
It is interesting to observe, however, that the first paragraph has been included - which speaks of the people’s attitude to Moses and Aaron. They are complaining - they are wishing they were back in Egypt where they had plenty of food: they are certainly not treating Moses with the respect due to the one who has helped to liberate them nor do they expect a miracle.... It is all his fault!
God, of course, hears the complaints and acts to feed his people - meat in the form of quails at dusk, and a strange phenomenon which appears like hoar frost on the ground at dawn. This dust can be gathered and formed into bread which was to sustain them during their travels in the desert. Jesus would have been familiar with this story and, if you read through to the end of the chapter, you will see why how it helped him to appraise the situation when people followed him across the lake.
No sooner has God given them manna and instructions on how to use it than the people decide to do it their way: keeping the manna overnight only to find that it went foul and had maggots in it! Later in Exodus, they make complaint that it is not sustaining enough!
Even having been given bread from heaven, the people are not satisfied. Instead of praising and thanking God for his providence, they very quickly begin to take it for granted. And, as for Moses - even this daily miracle did not make his leadership of the people any easier - they simply found other things to complain about. Even signs and wonders can be taken for granted.... What does it mean for me?
© 2006 Wellspring | Gospel | First Reading | Second Reading | |
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