God lovingly told Moses to gather the people, along with his brother, and draw water from a rock. God promised that water would flow abundantly, fulfilling the people’s needs and building trust in His chosen leader. Moses carries out the Lord’s command, though while harboring resentment toward the assembly. He harshly addressed them, striking the rock twice for added emphasis. As always, God is faithful to His promise and “water gushed out in abundance for the people and their livestock to drink” (Numbers 20:11). However, because Moses and Aaron failed in their duty to show forth God’s sanctity to the children of Israel, their disobedience cost them the Promised Land.

The reading highlights the intricate connection between the virtue of hope and trust—it reminds us of the need to have hope in God’s goodness and always reflect that hope to others. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church details, “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” We need God’s help to trust God and build a relationship with Him. But how can we trust the promises of a God we don’t know? How can we trust God when our understanding of Him has been distorted by our addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments?

Step 11 invites us through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, “praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out” (Alcoholics Anonymous). It invites us to a prayerful and regular dialogue with God where we express our needs to Him and listen deeply with the ears of our heart. By doing so, we increase our receptivity to grace and grow in trust and hope, enabling Him to transform our hearts into His image. We allow ourselves to be held by the Father who loves us and wants us to know our true identity as His beloved children.

Reflection Questions 

• What is your understanding of God the Father? Do you trust Him?
• Does your relationship with God entail prayer (speaking), meditation (deep listening), and a balanced dialogue with Him? How could your relationship be enriched?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Numbers 20:1-13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-23

Reflection by Talitha R.