THIS TOO SHALL PASS

READINGS: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

In the first reading of this fourth Sunday of Lent, Circle C (Joshua 5:9-12), we read that the day after the Israelites ate their produce in the land of Canaan, the manna, which God had supplied to feed them during their 40-year journey through the desert to the promise land ceased. Woo, that is an impactful message and says a lot about how life functions and what we should expect from it. 

Now, for over 40 years, God had miraculously provided food, in the form of manna falling from heaven, for the Israelites while they journeyed through the desert. Now that they have arrived in the Promise Land, He provided food for them, no longer from the heavens but from the work of their hands. So, while God can and does provide for His people in miraculous ways, He also expects us to use the talents and resources He has given to us to make things happen. It is said that miracles happen when we pray as if everything depends on God and work as hard as if everything depends on us. Prayer and faith are never substitutes for hard work. We must always do what we can and implore our energy and motivation to pursue and take care of life challenges. God uses our efforts to cause miracles to happen in our lives. As it is said, “Grace unfolds through human effort and is perfected in work”. 

Another dimension to the cessation of Manna, as the Israelites settled in the Promise Land, is the beautiful notion that everything, every condition, every situation, in life has an expiring date. As Scripture always says, “And it came to pass”.  Yes, all things will come to pass! A group of philosophes were asked to come up with a truth that would remain unchangeable, and they came up with the phrase, “This too shall pass”. 

Loss, is an integral part of this life of ours—divorce, the death of a parent, of a spouse, of a child, of a dear friend or beloved relative, of a home or a job, etc. In these situations, manna, so to speak, ceases and we must face the reality of moving on without it. The temptation is to hang onto the past but unfortunately, there is nothing there to hold onto. No doubt, some Israelites may have gone out the next morning, and the next day, looking for manna but simply found nothing. They would have starved to death if they kept looking for manna and refused to cultivate the land of promise that had been given to them. 

My friends, not everything that can be counted really counts and not everything that counts can really be counted. There is always wisdom in knowing when to let go, let God, and get going.  We can look back at the past to see where we have come from, but we should never pitch a tent in that past to live. The future is ahead of us not behind us.