31 March 2020 – Tuesday of the 5th week of Lent – Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 102

     From the book of Numbers, we hear about the Israelites in the midst of their journey in the desert.  They are tired, hungry, and thirsty. They gave up hope and gave up patience in the middle of a desert journey that seemed to never end.  They were frustrated with their situation, so they turned against Moses and against God from having brought them to this hot, desolate, barren place in the middle of the desert. Their life of bondage in Egypt seemed good in comparison to what they were enduring on the Exodus.  What they did not understand was that God was in their midst.                       
       It’s often easy for us to slip into hopelessness and despair in the midst of a crisis or a difficult situation.  It is often easy for us to blame someone else for our misery and agony. When a loved one is sick or dies, when we are unemployed, when we fail at something we put our heart into: where do we find hope when our lives seem so dark and hopeless? 
I remember when I lived up in Canada, when it would be 20 degrees below zero for months on end, when it was dark when you went into work and dark when you left work, it felt like the dark cold winter would never end. However, when spring and summer finally came to Canada, it was so full of joy and hope. The Canadians planted beautiful gardens, they spent time outside hiking or swimming or bike riding. They enjoyed every moment of beautiful weather they could get, knowing that another winter would be just around the corner.  The Canadians found God’s presence in the beauty of nature and in the grandeur of his creation.  
We are going through a difficult time now, we are having to make a lot of sacrifices, but unlike the Israelites, we know that this experience will not go on for years and years.  We know that there is a lot of uncertainty in our lives right now, but we know that there will be an end.  Our world will be changed, but this crisis will pass.  
         How do we open ourselves to God’s presence in our lives? We hear in today’s psalm: “O God, hear my prayer and let my cry come to you.”   Just as Moses and Jesus were able to bring God’s presence to the people in those difficult moments in their lives, we are also called to bring God’s presence to others in the midst of their reality, to bring God’s presence as we encounter him in the here and now.  As we continue our journey in these final days of Lent, may we continuously turn to God as we find him in the reality of our lives, opening ourselves and others to the love and the life that are present to us. Let us find hope in the Lord in our harsh reality.