Numbers 11:4-15 / Matthew 14:22-36 (Year A)
A baby's cry is an alarm to the parents that the baby has some needs that require attention.
That is understandable because that is how a baby communicates with the world.
But when the baby starts to wail, it could mean that serious attention is needed. Moreover the wailing can be intolerable and irritating.
If that is the case with babies, then what about adults when they start wailing?
The 1st reading told us that the people of Israel began to wail, every family at the door of its tent.
The cause of the wailing was that they were clamouring for meat - "Who will give us meat to eat?"
Their wailing irritated the Lord to the extent that the anger of the Lord flared out, and Moses was also irritated to the extent that he was finding the people intolerable.
And to think that the wailing was all about the craving for meat! It is indeed difficult to understand how people would behave when they give in to their craving.
Yet in the gospel we saw a totally different kind of behaviour from Jesus when He received news about the death of John the Baptist, His relative.
He did not wail, He did not vent His anger or rave with revenge. He withdrew to a lonely place by Himself, but after that He went back to His disciples and to the people to continue His work of teaching, healing and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom.
Let us ask the Lord Jesus to give us grateful and thankful hearts so that we can rise above our desires and cravings and praise the Lord for all the blessings we have received.