I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate mana in the desert, yet they perished. But
here is the bread that comes down from heaven. John 6. 35.41-51

Spirituality in the desert

HOMILY FOR THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The spiritual history of Israel, a country at the edge of a desert, is also our own
history, which shows that in times of scarcity, their leaders put faith in idols, and
in times of abundance, they also doubted and their faith weakened. In this story,
as kingship was entrenched, the prophets were silenced. Political alliances are
given an illusion of being indestructible. In the course of history, eventually, Egypt
declined, Babylon took over, Israel was dispersed, and suffered in exile as never
before.

By the time of Jesus and John the Baptist, people were again well-established,
the land was green and the people were prosperous as God had promised.
There were buildings being erected and parties in the palaces. Jerusalem had
become real estate again, the wilderness became a garden again, and burning
bush had become the choice vine. It was almost as if among thornbushes they
harvested figs. The wilderness became the land of plenty with hectares of
productive farms. And once more, Herod in his insecurity and lack of faith
persecuted the prophets.

The Baptist and Jesus ministered in the wilderness of the Jordan and the fringes
of Galilee. The people without spiritual nourishment followed Jesus wherever he
went. Lost people, hungry people, sinners, public servants, tax collectors, lepers,
fishermen, shepherds, a woman suffering from haemorrhages, the impure, the
excluded. Such a multitude that needed nourishment! To those many, Jesus gave
his all. How Jesus differs and proves himself greater than Elijah and Moses! During
his period in the wilderness, Jesus himself becomes real food and life abundance.

As God gathered back the exiles, Christ gathered the excluded, healing the sick,
liberating the burdened, feeding the hungry, and redeeming those without hope.
Jesus changed the wilderness of Palestine and the history of the world forever.
Just like Israel, Elijah and Jesus went through the wilderness, we also are
sojourners in the wilderness. We are part of this story. Our planet is in extreme
need of care, of being replanted, cultivated, loved, and nourished. Canada, these
days, has experienced heat, as never before, many have died of such high
temperatures, on the other hand, islands are being submerged, and coastal lines
are being erased. Our leaders are anxious, the political elites are in fear of the
green economy or the transition to a Solidarity Economy. The super-rich build
bunkers in New Zealand, Australia and America to hide away from possible
climatic disasters.

Christian faith is relevant as never before, our prophetic voice is necessary, and the
longed-for message of hope must now be heard! We owe it to the children of
our children to reclaim the public arena and with prophetic voice, call on those
with decision power to come back to the faith in the God of Elijah, the God of
Jesus Christ, who has sustained Israel, God’s church and all his children, this far.
And in this faith, we may join all efforts and work together to make the
wilderness flourish, once more. Amen