What is it?

 

“On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, "What is this?" for they did not know what it was.  But Moses told them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat." (Exodus 16:1-15)

One of the fun things I learned when I was a kid learning about the Book of Exodus in my Catechism classes is that “Manna” is ancient Hebrew for "What is it?"  Ma(h) means "what?" and na(h) is an intensive.  So, God gave the people "What is it?" from heaven.

Lots of scholars have tried to figure out what it really was – those “fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground” in the desert that the people were to collect.  I've never heard any really helpful answers to that myself.  So I just accept Moses’ explanation: "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat."

As I reflected on this today, I thought about children who are picky eaters trying food for the first time.  Parents will put something new on their child’s plate, and the kid might ask, “What is it?”  To which the parent might reply simply, “It’s good for you!”  That brought me back to the Israelites in the desert.  God gave them "What is it?" from heaven.  They didn't know what it was!  They didn't know if it was good for them!

I think that sound like many of us often in our own times.  God gives us "What is it?" many times it seems.  Stuff happens, and we say, "What is it?"  Good things happen; "What is it?"  Bad things happen; "What is it?"  It's often a reflection on whatever it is that happened that tells us it was from God.

“Yet he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven he opened; He rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread.”  (Psalm 78:18-28)

Psalm 78 is a theological reflection on Exodus.  "Manna" is now a word itself and it signifies "bread."  Whatever the early wanderers thought it was that God gave them, by the time the Psalm was written it was bread, according to the psalmist.

Some of the questions I ask myself as I examine my conscience at the end of each day are: “What's going on in me today that I need to notice?  Where has God been active so that I can be grateful?  Where have I strayed so that I can repent?”

In a way, it's like trying to figure out what the "stuff" of the day is; “What is it?”  Sometimes it’s bread and we’re well nourished by it.  Sometimes, it's just junk on the lawn that isn't worth our time.  That’s when we need to discern whether the "What is it?" in our life is manna, or is it bread?  Is it just white junk on the lawn that needs to be cleared?  Or is it a matter of substance that can nourish our faith and lead us closer to God?

So, as we go along this summer and notice lots of different things that happen to us, we can ask (and answer) with the people of Israel, "What is it?"

This reflection has also reminded me of an old joke:  One of the oldest recipes handed down to us by the Israelites in the days of Moses that is still in use today is for “mannana-nut bread”.

You’re welcome.  Or I’m sorry, depending on your sense of humor.