A GOOD QUESTION

The Israelites´ Question

Last Sunday´s first reading, from the book of Exodus, ended with a question that has stayed with me all

The Israelites complained to Moses

week. You may remember that in that passage the Israelites were complaining about being pulled out of Egypt into the inhospitable wilderness. The final sentence reads: “The place was called Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord, saying, is the Lord, in our midst or not?”

For the Israelites, the question was never “Is there a God?“ Or “Does God exist?“ For them the question was always “Is God here with us right at this moment.“  So now in Exodus Chapter 17 we hear the Israelites posing their question: "Is the Lord in our midst or not?”

My Question, Too?

This week I’ve been wondering if I´m so very different from the Israelites. Sometimes in some difficult situations it seems that God is terribly distant. Just when I need his loving presence most, the Lord seems nowhere to be found. Now of course I believe that God exists. That’s not the question. The question echoes one that occurs in the psalms:“Where is our God” “Does he march with our armies no longer?”

Our great mystical writers talk about experiencing “the dark night of the soul.” I don’t know that I’ve ever gotten that deep into the darkness, but there certainly have been times when I have begun to ask the Israelites´ question…

I see that I wrote a little prayer in my journal last Sunday evening: “Lord, please give me the eyes to see you at my side, and strengthen my faith to feel your loving help.”

This fits in with one of my Lenten resolutions, namely, to try to make it easier for others to believe in God. How often do I help a brother or a sister feel the Lord´s loving presence in his or her life?

Come to think of it, I can name quite a few people who do that for me. So now it’s just a matter of passing it on.