March 7th, Sunday, Third Week of Lent

Exodus 17: 3-7, Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9, Romans 5: 1-2. 5-8, John 4: 5-42

The House of Massah & Meribah

You know how people have quaint sayings carved on to placards hung on their front doors? I’ve often admired them and thinking what a nice touch that is, adding to the charm and “street appeal” of houses. Instead of “Home Sweet Home” or “The Family that Plays Together Stays Together”, however, I sometimes feel “The House of Massah and Meribah” would more accurately describe ours. Bickering, endless blaming about whose ‘fault’ something is, demands for immediate results, unkind jabs at the expense of a sibling all abound, nothing at all “Sweet’ about it.

Yes, it’s easy to liken my children’s attitudes and behavior to the Israelites. I am certain Moses was frustrated and bewildered by the dessert folk. Like Moses, I am aggrieved at the ingratitude of my family, responding in exasperation; “I did not make you do that. I only thought my suggestion was a good idea and one we’d all be appreciative of in the long run.” Truthfully, though, I feel as if I play all the roles. I am too often the ingrate, wallowing in self pity about demands on my time. And sometimes I am the rigid God of the Old Testament, unforgiving for forty years, feeling justified in withholding the patience, understanding and tenderness of a parent.

So the lesson for me of this passage from Exodus and Psalm 95 is a message to have a little more faith, question less, worry less about what “I” and “they” haven’t done or don’t have. A message to focus more on the wonder of family and the community of St. Raymond, belonging to each other and for each other. Recognizing that the gifts we have are indeed numerous, most notably, the loving gift God extends to us in His Son, Jesus. Rather than hard-heartedness and negativity, I will try to see Massah & Meribah as evidence that with hopeful hearts and open minds, we can live the grace-filled life God intends for us.

Mary Anne Benden, attorney, married to Tim Bopp, mother of three.