I hate to admit it, but the First Reading is like looking into a mirror. Moses has moved the people from slavery to freedom, but all they can do is complain. “Is the LORD in our midst or not?” I’ve asked that same question too many times to count — and asked it in that same salty tone, you can be sure! In times of uncertainty, fear, and discontent, it’s easy to blame God and to move from trust to doubt. “Hey, God, are you here or not?”

A few years ago, God Space had a small group that read the book Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor. We learned about the Buddhist understanding of suffering, which resonated so much that what I’ve learned this year. Suffering is “so often a measure of how much we want things to be different from the way they are” (47). Our “desire for pain-free lives” is the problem, and the sooner we stop resisting and accept things the way they are, the sooner we’ll ease our suffering (47). Much of my unhappiness it is in my own head, how I think about the circumstances of my life. When I resist, complain, deny, and wish things were different, I only increase my unhappiness. When I accept what is and become present to it, I eventually find God. If I can pause and just be with the present moment, I can notice the presence of God and even, sometimes, experience peace.

Christianity has some different beliefs about suffering, but even so, Christ calls us to be present to what is, not resisting but seeking God in all things. In fact, that’s what I see Jesus doing as he talks with the woman at the well in the Gospel. Like the people in the first reading, the woman is thirsty, but unlike them, she’s not complaining. She does have some questions, though: Why is a Jew asking her for a drink? How can he give her living water if he doesn’t have a bucket? Who is this guy? She doesn’t know who he is, but he knows her. He knows she’s been married and rejected several times. He knows she’s marginalized in the community, since she’s there alone at noon. He knows her, and she lets herself be known, not denying, not hiding. Both of them are present to the reality of her life and circumstances. And then Jesus allows her to know him for who he really is – the Messiah, the Christ, the one who is to come. As she moves from their encounter to call the community to come and see, she becomes more than who she was. She becomes a prophet and a disciple. He stirs up hope in her, and she is changed.

I want to be changed by hope too. Our Second Reading assures us that “hope does not disappoint,” but as people continue to suffer in this world, it’s hard to trust that. I sometimes get really disappointed — in people, in myself, in circumstances. However, maybe it’s not the hope that disappoints but my own expectations of how things “should” be. There are times when I need to accept what is. However, acceptance doesn’t mean complacency. I’m still going to work to make things better, if I can. It’s kind of a paradox of our faith, isn’t it? We’re called to both work for change and to accept what is. God helps us to discern when to work and when to accept, and sometimes we have to do both at the same time, which is hard. But difficulty isn’t for nothing. “Affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope” (Rom 3-4). So, after all the affliction that we experience in our crazy times, we must all have a superhero level of endurance and proven character, and, thus, hope, right? If we do, it’s because God is good. God is relentless in stirring up hope in me, even when I almost wish God would take it down a notch and just let me give up. I can’t. I just keep hoping.

We are imperfect, and circumstances are hard, but God loves us. God is present to the reality of who we are, even as God calls us to grow. God is certainly in our midst. When we are present to reality instead of resisting, we catch a glimpse of who God is. We open to God, and we allow God to make us more – more compassionate, more generous, more loving.  

For Reflection:

• Have you ever had a difficult experience that has helped you to grow stronger? How did it help you to grow? How was God in the experience?

• What are you enduring at the moment? Maybe you could take a moment to talk it through with God and see what God has to say to you.

• Where do you find hope these days? What does it feel like? How is God present?

By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Leslie is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, dancing, and meaningful conversations.