In our first reading today we see a wonderful prophecy of a “new creation” that would come from the people who traversed the Red Sea unharmed - sheltered by the hand of God - established on the grassy lands where they ranged about like horses, bounded about like sheep.
This of course refers to the Exodus of the Israelites from the scourge of the Egyptian taskmasters. But it also refers to the formation of the new heaven and the new earth at the time of the coming of the Lord!
The end times are about the restoration of all creation - not just human beings. The good will rise to everlasting life - and where that everlasting life will take place is the new heaven that will be prepared for them. Tomorrow we will hear about what happens to the evildoers.
The gospel passage today tells us that we must constantly pray for our daily bread - for all we need to live good, holy, productive, useful and loving lives. For in this way, when the Day of Judgment comes we will be ready - and should have nothing to hide or fear. Just as the widow pestered the judge, so too we must “pester” God to give us - through the Holy Spirit - exactly what we need. The “pestering” is for our benefit - not God’s. He hears us the first time we ask - it is for us to keep wanting what he has to give. And so he arranged it so that we would hunger and thirst always for more of the good things that will take us right into eternal life.
The point of the passage is that we are not to “grasp and grab” for what we think we need; but to perseveringly ask for what God knows we need and to “receive it, thankfully, and humbly!”
“Give us this day our daily bread!” The bread of Life! The bread of Angels!
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