Exodus  
Bread from Heaven

Exodus 16: 1-36

It does not take long for the Hebrew people to forget what God has done and to look back wistfully for the times of plenty in Egypt. God hears their complaints and promises that they will not starve in the desert but will eat their fill twice a day - bread in the morning - quail in the evening.

Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing! Looking back to the past can be a blessing - but we run the risk of seeing everything as better then and failing to see the gifts around us in the present.

The people had no experience of living in the desert - anything they had wanted in Egypt they bought or grew... Could it have been that both manna and quails were already there - and that God had to point out that he had provided food. All they had to do was see it and use it!

We too can spend so long looking back to golden days - and forward to a rosy future - that we wonder why living in the present does not match up. We too need to look and see what God has given to us - gifts under our very noses that we have failed to see and use to enrich our lives.

Reflection

Simple food - well prepared...
Those who follow a Eucharistic tradition centre their worship on sharing bread and wine - seeing in them the ultimate gift of God.
How many of us appreciate the work that has gone into our having them - to the simple ingredients from which they are made?
Reflect on the food you eat - if you are what you eat, what are you?!
If you can, spend time making bread - savouring the touch - smell and taste of the gifts of God in the fruits of the earth and work of your hands.

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