How willing are we to wait on the Lord to give us what we need? I think that’s the pivotal question that we have in today’s Liturgy of the Word.
In the case of Adam and Eve, that willingness was short-circuited by the cunning temptation of the serpent. We heard about that yesterday in the first reading. The couple, seduced by the serpent, ate from the tree of good and evil, having been promised that it would make them like God. There are two ironies in this little encounter. First, becoming like God was what Satan always wanted. That was what caused him to fall from heaven and lose the promise of grace. So Satan wants to take as many of us with him as he can, and that was why he tempted our first parents, and continues to assail us. Second, our real destiny is to be wrapped up in the life of God. That is the grace that he sent Jesus to bring us: Jesus became like us so that we could become like him. All they had to do was wait on God and God would give them everything they needed. But instead, tempted by the serpent, they grasped at what they didn’t need and what wasn’t of God, all to become like God, which was what God wants to give us anyway. What a mess.
In the Gospel reading today, Jesus tests the disciples to see if they can trust God to give them what they need. The crowd had been with him now for three days, and of course they were hungry: Jesus had pity on them and wanted to feed them. But the disciples argue: “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Jesus always intended to feed the crowd, but he was wanting to see if the disciples trusted in him that way. They were still learning. So he takes what they have – a minuscule offering in the face of so much hunger – and does what he was always going to do: provide a feast that was enough, and more than enough to feed that hungry crowd.
The thing is, God wants to do so much in us and for us and with us. But I think we mess it up by trying to do everything ourselves. God is faithful, and he keeps his promises. We may have to wait for his time, but God is always wanting to act for our Good, as long as we are ready to accept that and accept his time table. Let’s pray for the grace to trust God and his timing to give us what we need.
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