July 24, 2013 8:30am

I think many of us may be able to identify with the real-life humanity of the Israelites in today’s first reading.

The Israelites are in the desert and things are not so good there.

The journey to the Promised Land is long and hot and the food is minimal.

So, they started to complain.

And suddenly, they looked back to Egypt and wondered why they had ever left.

They also forget where they are going and their goal of a new land.

Isn’t this so very human?

When life gets tough don’t we look back and wish the good old days were here again?

Sometimes, that is understandable especially if we have suffered the loss of a loved one.

But at other times also, hardship and hard work can cause us to lose perspective when we should not lose it.

We may forget that things were not really that good in the past or we may forget the goal that we really want to achieve.

We also might grumble in the desert.

What are we to do at these times?

I find some answer in what God does for the Israelites.

He gives them daily food – daily food, enough for each day.

So God called the Israelites and God calls us to focus on the day – on doing what we have to do even if it is hard, and on keeping our mind on our goal or what God seems to be calling us to do.

We need to do this prayerfully, asking for and looking for God’s help, as in the manna and quail in this exodus story.

And we need to do this every day, day in and day out, if we are going to complete the journey.

Sometimes we will do this out of a strength we did not think we had – and that is the grace of God.

But do it we must and then someday, we too will reach the land God has promised us.