The Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

The climate emergency is becoming more urgent by the day. We have to face up to a radical change in the way we live. Like the Israelites in the desert, we have to face it together, as a group. But within that group there are opposing voices. Some regret past comforts and want to return to the past in a way that is impossible.

It’s hard to remain hopeful. Moses says: “It’s too much for me”. He felt alone, powerless, faced with this crowd of people with whom he was supposed to be working and who seemed instead intent on heading in the opposite direction.

God hears his cry. God asks him to look at his people, and to find a certain number who share his hope for the promised land. He must discover that in this discouraged and discouraging people, there are people of goodwill with whom he can share his concern for the future. Moses had to adjust his gaze.

A way of looking that is no longer clouded by frustration or anger can better perceive the signs of hope. In his anger, Moses forgot that he could count on allies among his people. Despair prevents us from believing in the signs of hope — and we need those very signs to be able to hope! How can we get out of this vicious circle? That’s why God himself does everything possible to link us together. That’s what God did for Moses.

 What do I need in order not to give in to despair?
 In times of difficulty what kind of help do I hope for from God?
 Who are the people around me who give me hope? How?