Today is August 7, Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “‘Listen to me, you rebels! Are we to bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and water gushed out in abundance for the people and their livestock to drink” (Nm 20:10-11).
The Israelites were thirsty in the desert — and they grumbled. They had forgotten all that God had done for them; how he had freed them from Egypt, fed them with manna and led them by fire and cloud. In their thirst, they doubted God’s goodness.
One Dominican friar has said the Book of Exodus should really be called “The Book of Dementia”– because it’s all about forgetfulness! And he’s not wrong. Again and again, the Israelites forget the wonders the Lord has worked for them.
And even Moses — the faithful leader that he was — lets frustration get the better of him. God told him to speak to the rock so that water would flow. But instead, Moses strikes it twice with his staff. Water flows, yes — but so do consequences. Because Moses failed to trust God’s holiness, he would be allowed to see the Promised Land but not to enter it.
‘Harden not your hearts’
This moment at the waters of Meribah stands as a warning to all of us. Psalm 95 echoes the memory: “Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert…”
Even today, monks and nuns around the world begin their morning prayer with this psalm, asking that their hearts remain soft and receptive, never hardened by fear, doubt or pride. We would do well to pray the same — that we remember the Lord’s goodness and never forget his works.
Even in our thirst, even in our forgetfulness, God still provides. He gives us what we need: living water from the rock, grace from his heart. But how much more abundant might his blessings be if we receive them with hearts full of trust?
Today, let us listen for his voice. Let us remember his goodness. And let us not harden our hearts.
Let us pray,
Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
