The Exaltation of the Cross

“We are disgusted with this wretched food!" Num. 21:5

Today is the anniversary of my father’s death.  I don’t usually remember anniversaries but my mother planted this one deep in my spirit.  As people came to Dad's wake to offer her a word of consolation, she reminded them that after months of struggling to breathe and swallow following a devastating stroke, my father was taken down from his cross on the feast of the exaltation of the Cross. Further, she told everyone, he would be buried on the feast of the Stigmata of St Francis. Because faith was an everyday experience for my mother, very much like breathing, the liturgical calendar was important to her, and she made sure it was for us as well.  The liturgy was an anchor that reminded us each day of God's enduring presence.

Today, therefore, I invite you to reflect on a brief passage from the book of Numbers, named for the census the Lord orders of all men over twenty years old who would be fit for military service. "We are disgusted with this wretched food," the Israelites complain. Though not funny, the passage makes me smile thinking of my father who never saw a meal he didn’t like, especially if it was prepared for him. Dad’s spirit was gentle and kind, and he listened far more than he spoke, but he couldn’t boil water. More important, he was poor as a boy and every meal was an occasion of gratitude. His meal prayer always made us smile.  “Thank God for the next meal,” he said, “we’re sure of this one.”  Food was a gift which he did not always have as a young man.  He could never imagine being disgusted with anything placed before him.

The Israelites wandering in the desert learned this lesson the hard way.  The more they complained, the more God reacted, sending snakes to bite them.  It was only Moses’ plea to God to forgive his people that softened God’s heart. God instructed Moses to fashion a bronze serpent, put it on a pole and hold it up before the people. If they looked at it they would be healed. The bronze serpent became a reminder to them never to take for granted God’s mercy and love in freeing them from slavery.  Neither should we.  Although we may not always like the food set before us, a word of gratitude for those who grew it and prepared it is a wonderful way to honor the God of creation. Further, by pausing today before a crucifix on this feast of the exaltation of the Cross, we celebrate the God who gave his life so that we might have a place at the eternal banquet.