Now THAT Would Have Been a Miracle

On most mornings, I go to the gym and then to church. I know, I'm a total freak but in my defense it: a) started during Lent, b) is right on the way to work, c) has the correct timing to still get me to work early, d) is easier than reading the Bible alone and e) feels like the perfect way to start the day.

This morning's first reading was about the Israelites who were sent to scout the promised land and came back with fears about the race of giants that was already living there. “We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us.”

The elderly priest who presides over the 6:30 a.m. mass is prone on more days than not to tell a joke just to see if we're awake yet or comment on how amazing it is that we're all there so early in the morning. (It really is packed on most mornings. Who knew?) Today's random comment was my favorite, "They were afraid of the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Bud Lights and Amorites." The best part was that he just keep preaching as if the Bud Lights really were part of this race of huge, veritable giants.

I do believe, however, if there really was a giant race of Bud Lights living there, it wouldn't have taken most men 40 years to enter the promised land. Right? We could have saved a lot of time that was otherwise spent wandering the desert with nothing to eat and drink but manna and water. God provided Moses with a staff to bring forth water from rocks. Surely he would have also provided a giant bottle opener, no?