Now, once again, you are set right with God, but you are not completely out of danger. You are still in the same life situations. You still face the same stresses that caused your fall. You are still in the canyon. Only by a continuing effort, perhaps, spiritual direction, and a reform in our attitudes and understanding, can we discover the root causes for our sins. Only then can we discover the true reasons for our fall. Only then can we discover the person, the disciple, that we were meant to be. Then, out of the hole, and out of the canyon, freed from our attachments, we are truly free - truly free to live, not according to our own will, but in accord with God's Divine Will. Only then do we discover who we truly are, and find true and lasting fulfillment, able and equipped to navigate the pitfalls we all face.

A question taken from a popular song asks, “What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me?”1 In today's reading we have two situations where the Israelite's are ready to walk out on God. Each deals with food: a metaphor for our appetites and attachments. Each deals with impatience: the desire to take control, and an inability, or refusal, to trust.

Certainly, the Israelites are aware that God knows their needs. They have seen, first hand, the parting of the Red Sea, the Egyptian's defeat, water called forth from the Rock, and Manna falling from Heaven. They have seen, with their own eyes, lepers made clean, demons expelled, the lame picking up their mats and walking, and the dead raised to life. They have been chosen by God, who calls them His Holy People, and His Holy Nation. They have been embraced by their Heavenly Father's loving care, yet, once again, they challenge and are ready to abandon their God. They refuse to wait on God's Hand. They refuse to trust.

A famous baseball player once said, “You are only as good as your last at-bat.” They challenge Jesus. They demand signs. Even after witnessing the miracle of the loaves and the fish, they are defiant. They say, “What can you do?” 2 . Or in an impatience that borders on panic, they ask defiantly, 'What have you done for me lately?' Despite all their history, they still have an infantile relationship with their God. They have seen the miracles, but lack understanding. They have heard Jesus' Words but don't even know the meaning of trust.

Jesus tells them, “It was not Moses who gave [you] bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world … I am the bread of life.” 3 In this, though it was widely speculated, Jesus finally declares that He is the Son of God, and begins to lay the groundwork for the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, which would take place only a short time later at the Last Supper. But, to their ears, Jesus is singing out of tune.

The Israelites certainly could not be held accountable for not fully understanding what Jesus was saying. After all, it took many years for the Church to discern such matters as the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist and the doctrine of the Trinity.

However, this was not essentially a doctrinal difference. It's was a matter of the heart. It was a matter of faith and trust. Some came to Jesus out of faith. Some truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah promised by God. But others came, not seeking enlightenment, not seeking transformation, but wanting healing for their physical infirmities and looking for free food. They wanted a warrior Messiah. They were ready to crown Jesus as King. They wanted to be free, but they could not see the bigger picture. They could not see the true freedom that Jesus offered. Jesus wanted to lift them up, but they refused to open their minds. It was all too much for their infantile faith. They could not climb out of their holes. They would not wait on God's revelation, and they refuse to trust. But they are not unique. How many of us need to think deeply about our understanding, about our attitudes, and about living God's Divine Will in our lives?

Jesus told St. Faustina, “How painfully distrust of My goodness wounds Me! Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully”. 4 He said, “The flames of mercy are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause me when they do not want to accept them.” 5 Jesus longs to forgive us. He says, “When you give Me your sins you give Me the joy of being your Savior”6 “My Heart is burning with the desire to attract souls … to forgive them.” 7

Jesus' great desire to forgive our sins is illustrated in a story attributed to Saint Theresa. In the story, two daughters have done something that would seriously offend their loving father. Later, when they hear their father's approaching footsteps, one of them runs off and hides while the other runs to her father, jumps into his arms, and confesses her offense to him. The father loves both his daughters, but one has broken his heart while the other has consoled it. Not trusting in Jesus' Mercy, not seeking His Forgiveness seriously wounds our Savior's Heart. Jesus wants to lift us out of the pit and into His loving arms.8

Father Vincent Martin Lucia describes the flames of Jesus's Merciful Heart this way. “Like fire that transforms everything into itself, Jesus transforms everything to good in the fire of His Divine Love, drawing good out of evil…consuming even our faults and failures like straw thrown into a burning furnace and using them to make us more humble and to bring us even closer to His Divine Heart.” Jesus calls us out of the hole, out of the spiritual pits in our lives, out of our sins, out of our attachments, and into a new life. And, He does so with such gentleness – a love so tender - that we are often not aware that is has happened or how it was done.9

Fr. Michael Gaitley offers an analogy He says, “Have you ever played fetch with a dog? You throw a ball and the dog retrieves it. Sometimes, when the dog returns, however, it doesn't drop the ball. You try grabbing the ball from the dog's mouth but it doesn't let go, or even growls. But if you get down with the dog and pet it saying, 'Nice doggie, good doggie', it begins to wag it's tail and relax. Now, no longer paying attention to the ball, you can gently take the ball out of the dog's mouth.”10

Jesus does the same with us. When we go to Jesus, especially in the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus fills us with His Love and Peace. And, at the same time, in His Great Mercy, He silently loosens our grip on our attachments. After some time, without our even realizing it, He holds what He just pulled out of our mouths. And, there it is, our attachments, burning up in the flames of His Merciful Heart. Jesus lifts us from the pit of anger, pride, selfishness, and despair. He holds us in His Loving Arms, and, ever so gently, ever so subtly, we are set free.

So, how do we set ourselves free? How do we divorce ourselves from our attachments? How do we escape the pits of sin and despair? The answer is obvious: we need help! And Jesus is the only one who can set us free. So, come to Jesus. His heart burns with flames of love for us! He longs to forgive us and be our Savior. So, come to Jesus in Adoration. Come to Him in the Sacraments. Give Him your worries, your faults, and your failures. Come to Jesus and give Him your heart. Come to Jesus fully alive - not as a habit, not as a routine, but in complete joy and totally in love! Ask Jesus to bring good out of all your pitfalls. Ask Him to make your love new again. Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus, and set yourself free!

Baruch Hashem!

References

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