09 Mar

The people remember that they were wandering Arabians, “strangers in a strange land,” until God saved them. When we tell the story of our own ancestors, it doesn’t seem like we even know the story, nor do we remember what and how much God has done great things for us. The homily could begin to enumerate these actions of God that then lead us to thanksgiving and praise. The “land of milk and honey” captures the sense of the luxuries God gave them.

The description of this primitive ritual goes on to command a feast which includes the alien and the foreigners among them. In sharp contrast, we seem to think that there’s no enough to go around, and to hoard for ourselves we have to build walls, implement security systems, and lock the doors.

The great temptations the modern world in our culture are money, sex, power, fame. Hence even the Church has much to repent this time of Lent.