I remember my first winter in Winnipeg, Canada as a missionary. The winter days were cold and dreary, with sub-freezing temperatures and darkness that never seemed to end. I felt like I was living in the frozen tundra of the Arctic. I felt so down in the dumps as winter dragged on. I remember going to confession one frigid dark Friday evening, as I explained my feeling to the priest. His response to me was: It’s Canada in the middle of winter. It is natural to feel depressed this time of the year: Don’t worry; just persevere, as spring will be coming.
Well, that was how I felt up in Canada in the middle of winter. Try to imagine how the Israelites felt in the middle of their journey: tired, hungry, and thirsty. They gave up hope in the middle of their desert journey, as they saw no end in sight. The Israelites were fed up with their situation, so they turned against Moses and against God from having brought them to this hot, desolate, barren place. Their life of bondage in Egypt seemed good in comparison to what they were experiencing on the Exodus. They did not understand that God was in their midst because they did not feel his presence with them.
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 sometime we put our heart into: where do we find hope when our lives seem so dark and hopeless?
The Canadian winter felt like it would never end, but when spring and summer finally came, 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. They found God’s presence in the beauty of nature and in the grandeur of his creation. I often found God’s presence in those dark, dreary winter days of the Canadian winters, but sometimes I had to really look for him.
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 brough God’s presence to the people in the midst of despair, we are called to bring God’s presence to others in the midst of their reality. Let us find hope in the Lord no matter where that reality finds us.
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