Sunday, August 5, 2012
Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 Gospel John 6:24-35
Isn’t it wonderful how God provides for us! From the beginning of time, He has given his people what they need. Please notice that I said what they need and not what they want. In the Garden of Eden, God provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed. However when they were tempted and they wanted more, things changed and not for the better.
In this Sunday’s first reading, we see the entire Israelite community grumbling against Moses and Aaron. God brought his people to this place for a reason. He led them out of their familiar surroundings. Someone recently sent me a quotation that I find appropriate here. “Sometimes we must experience something for as long as it takes us so we can learn what we need to learn from it.” God brought the Israelites into the desert for them to learn something. God was testing their faith and their trust in Him.
In the gospel reading this week, we see the parallel story. Jesus’s followers found Him in Capernaum and they were asking him for a sign like the manna their ancestors had received in the desert. He reminds them that it was not Moses, but God who gave them the bread from heaven, which gave life to the world. His followers then began asking for the bread. Jesus responds by saying,” I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Let us remember that God will give us what we need, and not necessarily what we want. We must have complete faith and trust in God especially in the difficult times.
In our workplace here St.Mary’s and D’Youville, we are often challenged by difficult situations. Do we respond to those situations with faith and trust in God? We pray “Thy will be done” in the Lord’s Prayer. Let us remember to act with faith and trust in God as we give service to those around us.
Dan Doyon
Pastoral Care
Tags: adam and eve, bread of life, ephesians 4, faith and trust, first reading, garden of eden, Gospel, gospel john, pastoral care, St. Mary's, St. Mary's Health System, st. mary's regional medical center, Sunday Scribes, trust in god
