Sixteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

“Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.

How quickly we can forget all God has done for us! He does so much to show us His Love and Mercy. He gives us graces and consolations, and yet we find things to complain about. We wonder why He couldn’t do this or that for us and grumble about where He is leading us. How short our memories are when it comes to God’s faithfulness to us. He is always here for us, and yet we feel abandoned or anxious. We wonder why He couldn’t just leave us alone, let us rest on our laurels, and stay in our comfort zone. However, He has our best interests at heart. He wants us to grow in faith, hope, and love and we cannot do that without exercising our spirit and pushing ever onward toward the Promised Land. He tells us to, “Fear not!” because if we place our trust in Him, He will lead us to victory over sin and death.

In what ways do we remind ourselves of all God has done for us? How can we learn to accept whatever comes along the road to Heaven, rather than to complain about it? Are we willing to keep moving forward to the Promised Land in spite of the sacrifices we will need to make to do so?

O Lord, help us to keep in mind all you have done for us, especially when we feel most anxious and worried.

Amen.