We have sinned because we have spoken against the Lord and against you (Numbers 21:7)

It is now five weeks since we began this desert experience. Just like the children of Israel, the Lord is next to us in these difficult moments with the intention of showing us his mercy as we enter the promised land. For the children of Israel, he had already tasted his might when he smote the firstborns of the Egyptians, when he brought pests in their fields, and when he made their lives uncomfortable. And finally, when he made the children of Israel cross the Red Sea, he drowned the armies of the Egyptians.

Today, we also have a story to tell. The Lord has been so close to us in difficult moments. He has shown his might against our enemies. This Lenten season is itself a testimony.

However, like the children of Israel, we too tend to forget. They forgot the great things that the Lord had done for them. They forgot how hard it was for them to flee Egypt, how they were slaves and dehumanized in Egypt. They couldn’t think that the Lord had the capacity to answer all their prayers. Worse still, they thought this was a mere enterprise of Moses. Forgetting sometimes makes us lose faith.

The hardships we have today make us forget God’s intervention in our lives and God’s actions in the most difficult times. Dear friends, as we enter this Holy Week, may we acknowledge our sinfulness before God. Especially the sin of forgetting his might. May our eyes be on the word of the cross from where our salvation comes.

Let us pray:

Have mercy upon us, your children, Oh God, that we might remember the good things you have always done for us and have faith in these difficult moments. We ask this through Christ our Lord.