Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Numbers 20:1-13; Matthew 18:21-19.1)
A number of years ago a Broadway play, that was made into a
movie, raised a few eyebrows. Entitled Doubt,
the drama was ostensibly about sexual child abuse in the Church. However, the theme went deeper. It dealt with the reality of the Christian
tradition and, indeed, the whole spiritual realm. Religious doubt may be found in both of today’s
readings.
It is not the people’s doubt that disturbs the Lord so much
in the reading from Numbers. It is Moses’
own doubt. How does Moses show this
doubt? Evidently, by tapping the rock
twice with its staff he displays doubt that the Lord will do as he promised. If
he were confident that God could run water from a rock, one tap would have been
sufficient. In the gospel Peter doubts
Jesus’ prophecy that he will have to suffer for the sake of the Kingdom. He sees Jesus as a conquering prince who lays
aside armies.
Most of us have to admit that we sometimes doubt. In a world that gives scientific explanations
for just about everything, it is hard not to.
We should ask the Lord to increase our faith so that we do not persist
in our questioning His promises. We want
to be willing to die for our beliefs that Jesus is Lord and will share with us
eternal life.
