SAINT EUSEBIUS OF VERCELLI, BISHOP (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

We see nothing before us but this manna. 

Can a miracle ever become ordinary? The answer is probably yes and no. For example, think about today’s first reading (Numbers 11:4-15). For more than a year, God had been miraculously raining down manna from heaven to sustain the Israelites during their odyssey in the wilderness (Numbers 11:9). But just about anyone who eats the same food for days in a row—let alone a year—will tire of it. After all, there are only so many ways to cook manna!

So some of the people eventually lost sight of the miracle of God’s provision. Instead, they focused on the monotony of the same ordinary wafer day after day. For them, familiarity bred frustration, not continual awe.

But it didn’t have to be that way. These Israelites could have recognized their growing discontent as understandable, considering the circumstances, and decided not to give in to it. Instead of seeing “nothing . . . but this manna,” they could have remembered that God was caring for them in the arid desert of Sinai (Numbers 11:6). They could have rejoiced that he was still journeying with them. At least they could have reminded each other what it was like to go hungry!

How about you? Do you ever get tired of the ordinary “miracles” of life? Whether it’s working in the “same old job,” serving in the same parish, or (fill in the blank), it’s only natural to take the familiar—but grace-filled—for granted. We might forget that the job was an answer to prayer. Or that we’ve experienced God’s healing presence in our parish. Provisions from God that once seemed fresh may eventually feel bland. If you follow those thoughts too far, you may end up confusing the miraculous for the mundane.

It doesn’t have to be this way! Today, take a few moments to thank God for your “manna”—for all the ways he provides for you every day. If you’ve drifted toward discontentment, turn back to the Lord and tell him how grateful you are—or at least how grateful you want to be. At the same time, ask him to help you see the deeper truth: God is always with you, and he is always caring for you.

“Lord, thank you for providing for me! May I never lose sight of your love!”

Psalm 81:12-17
Matthew 14:13-21
Numbers 11:4-15

WORD AMONG US