It strikes me that there might be one sentence missing from today’s first reading. I know: “Who am I to think that I know that something is missing from the Bible?” But the Israelites had been wandering for some 40 years in the desert, so it sure seems to me that – almost certainly – Moses must have heard this question: “Are we there yet?” Perhaps they even said it this way: “Holy Moses, “Are we there yet?”
Traveling is not easy. Some travel better than others. The Israelites did not. They were crabby about their journey. They had asked to be freed from slavery, and God wondrously freed them. Now they complain. “We don’t have enough to eat. We want bread” … and God gives them manna. Soon they complain: “Starchy diet, Lord. We don’t just want bread; we want meat” … and God gives them quail. Soon they will say, “We want more water…” and God gives them water from the rock. Soon some of them were saying, “We had it better back in the day” forgetting the sufferings that were theirs in slavery. They seemed to always find something to complain about along the way.
Maybe we aren’t so different. We face setbacks at work; tensions in our family; loneliness at school; struggles in relationship. Sometimes there are so many setbacks, so many disillusionments. Life is hard. We wonder: Why aren’t we there yet?
The fantasy is that there is a promised land out there somewhere, and the journey to get there should be easy. God never promised that! We forget how often, and in how many different ways Jesus told us, “We will suffer”. The journey will be hard.
Today Jesus refuses to meet the expectation of those who were looking for the quick fix, for “comfort food”, so to speak. “No I cannot, I will not make everything easy and fill your every physical need.” Jesus never promises that. And Jesus knows is that there are some things that are only forged in us in suffering.
What Jesus DOES promise is “Our daily bread.” He tells us we will have what we need… the blessings along the way. The reality is, we often don’t recognize the blessings. Like the Israelites – we focus on the Promised Land “out there,” and we miss the daily bread for our journey right here. The challenge is to see that the journey itself is the thing! For you – for me – THIS is life. THIS day, which is such a mixture of heartache and healing, THIS day, with its disappointments and delights, THIS day, and all its love and loss… this is it! Life does not start when we get to the Promised Land. And the journey itself is what matters above all else!
My brother tells of a conversation he had with an Olympian athlete in training. He was a phenomenal athlete, and naturally gifted. He also worked his tail off. He spoke about his grueling training schedule. So Joe asked what it was like to be him.
He said, “Sometimes I would get jealous of my friends…” I’d be up at 3:30 …. I couldn’t eat what they ate. I couldn’t do what they did. I missed family vacations. I spent hours upon hours of often lonely training. When asked about how he did it, how he coped with the challenges, the setbacks, the daily grind. He said, “Everyone says “Keep your eyes on the finish line.” Then he immediately said, “But, Fr. Joe, I’m telling you, it can’t be just that. It can’t just be keeping your eye on the finish line.” He said, “I know how many never get there. The majority, who have trained like I trained, worked like I worked, whose parents sacrificed like mine did… they never get there. Their time wasn’t quite good enough or they blew a knee or a muscle.”
Then he said, and let me read it word for word: “Father, you have to find something along the way. That you are a person, not just an athlete. The victory lane and the finish line don’t come for us all. You have to learn that your life matters NOW.”
This kid never appeared in the Olympics. He was close, but he didn’t quite qualify. Though disappointed, he is just fine. Because he knew the truth. It’s not all about the finish line, but the journey itself.
If we are not careful, we will look so hard for the grace of finally being done, that we will complain and grumble at the hardships of the journey, thinking that it shouldn’t be hard… and we will miss the daily bread of the countless gifts along the way.
I’m sure the Israelites complained, “Are we there yet?” But what matters is most is the journey itself, and how we live along the way. So, for you and for me, the answer to the question, ‘Are we there yet?’ is “Yes.” “Yes indeed!” “Yes, we are there!”