Meditation: Exodus 16:1-3, 6-8 and Luke 17:11-19
Like the Israelites who complained in the desert or the nine who were healed but did not give thanks, we, too, experience times of discontentment and feelings of ingratitude.
Response: Advent Season is a time of “waiting and watching” for the coming of Christ. Christ is God’s gift to us, and there is no greater gift. The Latin word “adventus” means coming; and Christ continually comes to us each time we call upon Him. Our gratitude for this great gift can be shown through our thankfulness, through our generosity to others, and by strengthening our faith as we live into the Word.
When we take a close look at ourselves, we find that we also fall into the same trap of unnecessary complaints just as the Israelites did, when things don’t go as we want them to. It’s that need to control that gets us into trouble sometimes, and yet, if we could just remember to first ask for God’s guidance and leadership in every phase of our lives, we could eliminate the complaints, and replace it with thanks and gratitude. God provided for the needs of the Israelites without their gratitude, and He also provides for us even when we fail to be grateful or thankful. What if we were the one in charge, I’m sure we would expect some gratitude and appreciation. We read the Word, and yet we fail so many times to live into the Word. God gave us the Bible as a guidebook for our lives. When we fail to live into God’s Word even though we continually read it, it’s like putting our hand on a hot burner even though we know it will burn.
Let’s all make a commitment to live into Christ as we generously share His love to others through our faith, our generosity, and our gratitude throughout the coming year.