Palabras preliminares
4.1 Eje 1- Aportes para la elaboración de un Plan Nacional de Educación
with God. We, too, are "on the road" and, most of all - and this is what we wish to emphasize - it is a symbol of the failings and perplexities that all people suffer in their ascent to God, even more concretely in their life of faith. Few people, perhaps no one, have been spared such fail ures, as we shall see by taking the Bible in hand .
...
When the right moment came, God was present in the midst of human history; He entered it to wound, to free, to make equal. Moses, God's friend and the leader of His people, confronts Pharaoh, gathers the scattered people, and puts them in motion toward the land of freedom. Coming out of Egypt, they begin the great journey of faith. But with the first steps, the crisis of faith begins curling like a snake around their hearts. Doubt wells up in their throats and cries out, "Was it for lack of graves that you had to lead us out to die in the desert? ... Did we not tell you as much in Egypt? 'Leave us alone,' we said, 'we would rather work for the Egyptians! We prefer to work for Egyptians than to die in the desert'" (Ex
14:11-12).
There is a preference for security over freedom. In the midst of the confusion, Moses alone keeps faith alive: "Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you will see what Yahweh will do to rescue you today ... Yahweh will do the fighting for you; all you need to do is to keep calm" (Ex14:13-14).
With these words, the faith of the people was revived again, and with their own eyes they contemplated wonders never before seen by anyone. Suddenly, a strong wind from the south began to blow, opened the waters and divided them in two. And the people crossed as if between two walls. In the meantime, the Egyptians were overtaken and sank like lead to the bottom of the sea. In the face of such a spectacle, "the people put their faith in Yahweh and in Moses, his servant" (Ex
14:31)
and sang a triumphal song (Ex15:1-23).
Nevertheless, once more they needed a "sign"to recover their faith. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (Jn
20:29).
The pilgrimage advanced for three days into the desert of Shur. The desert again tested the faith of the people. The silence of the land, and sometimes, the silence of God filled their souls and they were afraid. They ran out of provi sions. What would they eat? And, like birds of prey, discouragement, homesickness, and stubbornness came upon the people. "Why did we not die at Yahweh's hand in Egypt, where we used to sit round the flesh pots and could eat to our heart's content! As it is, you have led us into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!" (Ex
16:3).
The people succumbed to the temptation of nostalgia and "began to weep again. 'Who will give us meat to eat?' they said. 'Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!"' (Num
11:5).
Moses, whose faith remained unshaken because he spoke daily with God "as with a friend," told them,
"I
will have nothing to do with your murmurings, you are com plaining against God. ButI
tell you that in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, and your complaints will turn into ridiculous voices" (cf. Ex16:5-9).
And the next day, in the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning, dew lay all around the camp. And when the dew had disappeared, there, on the surface of the entire wilderness, lay a fine, flake-like substance, fine as hoarfrost on the ground, and morning after morning, the people ate of it (Ex
16:13-16).
The pilgrimage advanced toward Rephidim under a red-hot sun, on a sea of shimmering sand. And as they went forward, depression and temptation again disturbed their souls; the persistent temptation to stop, to abandon the journey, and return to their old security, even if it were as slaves in Egypt. The people murmured against Moses, saying, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt ... only to make us, our children and our livestock die of thirst?" (Ex
17:3).
At this moment, a nagging doubt destroyed the mem ory of all wonders, gnawed at the foundations of their faith,
and emerged in that dreadful question. "Is Yahweh with us, or not?" (Ex 17:7). The doubts had reached their peak. This is why this place is called Massah (because of their protest against God) and Meriba (because they challenged God). This was the great trial in the desert on their journey to Canaan.
Few people of God have been spared some difficult test. The way of faith has always been rough and difficult; in our day, the difficulties have increased. Today, the Church is going through a new desert. The dangers that waylay pilgrims are the same as those of long ago: discour agement caused by God's "disappearance," the appearance of new "gods" that demand worship, and the temptation to put an end to the hard journey of faith and return to comfortable and "fertile Egypt."