In the examination of conscience for Confession, one question is, ‘Did I get angry with God?’  A related sin, at a lower level, is complaining that God isn’t loving us or doing His job.  What we’re going to see is that our level of anger towards God or our complaining about Him is related to our experience of His love and our love for Him.

The First Reading says, “In the wilderness the people thirsted for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children… with thirst?’” (Ex 17:3).  The people need water, but God doesn’t give it immediately.  He’s not trying to hurt them.  He wants to know if they’ll love Him even when bad things happen.  Sometimes parents wonder: ‘Are my children only happy when they get what they want?  Because when they don’t get what they want, they’re rude.’

The Jewish people were slaves in Egypt for generations and then God rescued them because He loves them.  But two months later, they’re in a barren land and forget what He’s done; they doubt His love.

So, the general rule is: The more we experience God’s love, the less we’re angry with Him.  Steve Jobs, as a teenager, saw starving children in Nigeria—got angry and said he didn’t believe in God anymore.  For sure, he never experienced God’s love even though God does love him.  On the other hand, one of our brothers, Jose Solis, got a fractured skull, a bleeding brain, a broken ankle at the Lapu Lapu incident last year, and he can’t go back to work—no anger at God.  No anger from his children.  When I talked to his son, he kept on saying, ‘God’s will be done.’  He quoted his ‘go-to’ Scripture passage: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.  It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body” (Prov 3:5-8).  This comes from someone who knows that God gave His only Son for him.

The people in the First Reading represent those of us who have been blessed by God then sometimes turn away from Him.  I’ve never been angry with Him (after all, He hasn’t done anything wrong; nothing’s His fault), but I do complain in my heart: Despite all that He’s done for me, I have some doubt that He’ll bring good out of evil—that’s my fault; I don’t love Him enough.

It’s okay to ask, ‘Lord, what good are you trying to bring out of this?’  This question trusts God and seeks to understand.  However, if we ask, ‘God, how could You let this happen?’ that sounds like doubting His love, which maybe we do, perhaps because we haven’t experienced it or we don’t love Him enough.

“So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people?  They are almost ready to stone me’” (17:4).  Whom does Moses foreshadow?  Jesus.  Just as Moses led the people out of Egypt to the Promised Land, Jesus leads us from sin and to the Father.  And just as the people were taking out their frustration on Moses, sometimes we take out our frustration on Jesus by skipping Mass, disobeying Church teachings, or something like that.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people…  I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb.  Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink’” (17:5-6).  What do the rock and water represent?  Baptism, the Sacraments.

Right now, many people are praying for peace in Iran, but most probably don’t know that large numbers of Iranians are learning about Jesus and want to be baptized, despite severe persecution.  In 2015, we baptized an Iranian woman but couldn’t announce her name because of threats to her family.  One pastor has shared how he baptizes Iranians in bathtubs when they travel outside the country.  Why take the risk?  Because they’ve experienced something so good that it’s worth the threat to their physical life.

A woman named Maryam said she read the Quran five times but couldn’t find love or generosity in it.  Then she discovered a Bible at the house of her sister, who warned that the Bible was dangerous for her.  Maryam found love in it, that Jesus wants us to love the Father and others; and Jesus’ words, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (Jn 15:16), were stitched on her heart.  She started to believe and trust in Him, then went to underground prayer meetings.  But, when people threatened her, she and her family moved to Calgary and now she wants to share the Gospel with everyone.

By the way, we can ask to experience this love!  Jesus wants us to experience it!  And then He’ll ask how much we love Him: Even when we have no food or water?  That’s how He loved us.  We know Jesus died on the Cross but what was the actual cause of death?  The nails in hands and feet are torture but don’t cause death.  Crucifixion kills by the inability to breathe, because, after days of pain, victims can no longer breathe with their arms stretched out.  In Jesus’ case, He died in three hours, so doctors surmise He died from blood loss, and one of the results is extreme dehydration.  God wondered if the Jewish people would love when thirsty.  Jesus proved He would love us when dying of thirst.

Loving like Jesus, when our love is no longer conditional, is what discipleship means.  This is the Church system we’re focused on today.

Deuteronomy says, “Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness… testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments” (8:2).  God wants to know the level of love in our hearts: Will we keep His commandments?  First commandment: Do we ever get angry with God, complain against Him—sometimes, rarely, never?  Second: Do we use His name in vain or swear—sometimes, rarely, never?  Third: Do we skip Sunday Mass—sometimes, rarely, never?  The Lapu Lapu attack happened Saturday night, but Kevin, his wife, and young son went to Mass the next morning and then right back to the hospital.  Our commitments prove the love in our hearts.

I’ve mentioned a few times that our parish goal by January 1, 2027 is that 500 of us commit to weekly adoration, spending at least 15 minutes with Jesus in the Eucharist.  This is going to be a big year for us, with the opening of our Parish Centre in October.  But, five years from now, which will be the game changer: Parish Centre opening or 500 committing to adoration?  Just so that we’re on the same page, I’m going to mention adoration regularly from now until January.  If we make this commitment, then five years from now, we’re going to ask ourselves about our level of love: Do we skip adoration—sometimes, rarely, never?

During adoration, we pour out our hearts: ‘Jesus, I’m overwhelmed, my life is falling apart.’  Then perhaps we could make a commitment: ‘But I promise: I’ll never be angry at You.  I ask for Your help, that my life improve, and I’ll seek help from others, but from now on, I’ll never complain.’  Our anger, complaining towards God is related to our experience of His love for us and our love for Him.