Ex 16:2-4, 12-15
Painting Pictures of Egypt

TRANSCRIPT

FR. DON: Welcome back to THE WORD THIS WEEK podcast.  I’m Father Don.

TONYA: And I’m Tonya.

FR. DON: Today we’ll be relating the First Reading, Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15, to the lyrics of Sara Groves’ song, “Painting Pictures of Egypt.” We’ll end the podcast by looking briefly at the Gospel. Tonya, why don’t you read for us the first section of the reading.

TONYA: Sure. I would be glad to.

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”

FR. DON: The Israelites’ had been enslaved for hundreds of years. Moses liberated them from Pharaoh’s oppressive rule

TONYA: God showed Pharaoh who was boss. He sent those ten crazy plagues to mess with Egypt and convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

FR. DON: Correct. After leaving Egypt, however, they were in the desert. They had to face the harsh realities of survival. Their newfound freedom brought about its own set of challenges. They no longer had the basic necessities they had grown accustomed to in Egypt.

TONYA: It sounds like they started freaking out, about having second thoughts about the whole leaving Egypt thing. Being slaves wasn’t so bad after all because, at least back then, they always had food. They couldn’t get out of their minds those those huge pieces of meat in their fleshpots. No wonder they were mad at Moses, totally blaming him for their problems.

FR. DON: So, let’s bring the song into this. Note what the lyrics say, “The places I long for the most are the places where I’ve been. They are calling out to me. The future feels so hard, and I want to go back.”

The first time I heard this song. I was a Dominican novice in Denver, kind of struggling. The song struck a chord in me. My decision to join the novitiate required significant sacrifices. I had to leave my old life behind, and that included giving up my 32 inch TV.

TONYA: Dang. That’s small. Seriously? I wouldn’t miss that.

FR. DON: In 1999, that was the largest the average person had. Remember, TV’s back then were still using old technology. But the size didn’t matter. It was what I was watching. Even though the picture was not as great as it is today, no high definition, I remember being glued to my seat watching every Cardinal’s baseball game when McGuire broke the season home-run record in 1998. In the novitiate, I couldn’t watch sports much. The other novices were just not interested. And they didn’t drink beer like I did, either.

TONYA: So you were bored?

FR. DON: No. Not really.  It was all about the discomfort that comes with change and moving forward. Just as the song says. At times, it can be a struggle to let go of the past, even when the future holds the promise of something better.

TONYA: Yeah, I can understand that. It’s like when I knew I needed to break up with my boyfriend. You know, the one I talked to you about earlier? Who was not treating me right. But I was afraid of what life would be like without him. It’s the same kind of thing, I suppose. Sometimes, it’s hard to let go of the stuff we’re used to, even if we know it’s not the best for us.

FR. DON: As people come and go into our lives, as we journey through life… The future, the promise, the hope of becoming all God wants us to be, can feel distant and hard. Like the Israelites we just want to go back. Go back to the “good old days,” perhaps our youth, or the early years of a marriage, or the time before a particular sin took root and hold of us.

TONYA: Totally! It’s like, Republicans who want to bring us back to some version of the past, while Democrats are all about moving forward and making progress. Take the Green New Deal, for example. Republicans are all like, “No way, that’s too radical, let’s keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

FR. DON: Hold on. Where did that come from. There’s a time and place to discuss that, but in this segment let’s keep our focus on what we have been talking about.

TONYA: Sorry.

FR. DON: No, you’re fine. I’m the ONE that needs to apologize. I should not have raised my voice to you. But I want to continue talking about sin. Many people in today’s culture want to play the blame game. Like the Israelites in the First Reading, they complain. And what they are grumbling about may be true—

TONYA: Father, can you give some examples.

FR. DON: Something has happened in our country. We have eliminated God from our way of life. We have taken him out of our schools, And now we are taking him out of marriage & family. We used to blame television, the so called “boob-tube.”  Today, we have something that is a whole lot worse, or it can be, if you let it.  The internet.  “You-tube…”, this tube, and that tube. Sources of entertainment that, a generation ago, simply were not on the radar screen.

TONYA: A storm which never ceases,  —a living nightmare.

FR. DON: But, complaining and grumbling will lead us nowhere. NEITHER WILL DESPAIR.

TONYA: And so what are we to do?

FR. DON: This is the question the disciples asked in the Gospel. “What can we do?” “What CAN we do to accomplish the works of God?”

Jesus’ answer? To SEE and BELIEVE. As Catholics, the antidote to our heartache is to FIX our eyes ON CHRIST. We need him on the altar in our churches. But that is not the only place. As many have said, let the bells ring! May they ring from the church house to the White House, from the boardroom to our living rooms.

TONYA: And bedrooms, too!!!

FR. DON: It’s time for all of us to wake-up and stand-up for what we believe.  As St. Paul says in today’s Second Reading… to put away our old self, our former way of life and be RENEWED. Whether we are talking about computer-games, mind-games, or the blame-games we play. The Israelites, consumed by their hunger and nostalgia for their old life in Egypt, initially failed to see the provisions God had given them. Their doubts and complaints blinded them to the fact that their needs were already being met.

TONYA: Aren’t we digressing a bit from talking about Sara Grove’s song?

FR. DON: No. The “Pictures of Egypt” that we keep painting in our minds. The ones that prevent us from moving forward will never in the end satisfy us. In our modern lives, it’s easy to fall into a similar pattern of focusing on the negative and overlooking the positive. This story encourages us to be open-minded and grateful for the resources and opportunities we may have overlooked.

TONYA: What you are saying, then Father, is that if we want to find peace of mind, true freedom, from whatever may be troubling us, from whatever addictive lifestyle we may find ourselves, we have to leave the “pictures” of the past behind, confess our sins, and spend time before the Blessed Sacrament.

FR. DON: The Israelites struggled to put their trust in God and his plan, but ultimately, their needs were met in ways they could not have predicted. In our own lives, we may not always understand the path ahead, but having faith and being open to unexpected blessings can lead us to a place of greater peace and gratitude.

TONYA: And once we are nourished, just as Jesus says in the Gospel, he has work for us to do. We are to bring Christ to the world. So Everyone, please do what he says. COME! Let me say that again. COME! COME! COME to Jesus! Be nourished!!!.

FR. DON: Wow! We kind of got all wound up and excited, didn’t we?

TONYA: But for a good reason. I hope our listeners did, too. The bridge of the song touches on this idea, too, suggesting that sometimes the journey takes longer than expected because there’s a purpose behind it—maybe to help us appreciate the final outcome or to allow us time to grow and learn.

FR. DON: In essence, the song, combined with the Exodus story, teaches us that change can be difficult, but it is often necessary for growth and progress.

TONYA: That’s a great takeaway. As we wrap up this segment, Father Don and I hope our discussion has provided food for thought and encouraged deeper reflection on the lessons we can learn from the Sunday readings. As we go about our week, let’s keep these insights in mind and strive to apply them in our daily lives.

FR. DON: Until next time, I wish you peace, joy, and continued growth in your spiritual journey. Thank you for joining us.