372 Every Experience of the Heart Can Be Found in the Bible
Transcript
Speaker 1: With their patients worn out by the journey. The people complained against God and Moses. Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the desert where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food. Welcome back to Scripture for your inner outcasts. It's Monday, September 14th, 2026, the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross. I'm producer Elizabeth, and I'll be providing today's episode. For today's episode, I'd like to propose an analogy between the first reading today and the experience of you parts who have been exiled by the other parts in your system. From today's first reading, the Book of Numbers, chapter 21. With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses. Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the desert where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food. So this bit in the Book of Numbers is describing the Israelites wandering in the desert after their escape from slavery in Egypt. And their leader, of course, is Moses. And what this makes me think of is how the Israelites were literally exiled from the rest of the world as they were wandering in the desert, and they felt like they were exiled from God and from broader communion with him.
Speaker 1: And so in this passage, I would propose that the Israelites could metaphorically represent you exiled parts, and Moses could represent your manager parts who are leading you, sometimes with God, sometimes without God, but leading your system nevertheless. In this verse it says, with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses. You exiled parts. You very well might feel worn out. You might feel like you have no patience left in you. You might feel a temptation, or you might actively complain against God because of God. Images that you hold. You might feel like God is not taking care of you because you're so worn out by your journey. And you also might complain against Moses, who in my metaphor would represent your manager parts. You might complain that they're not doing a good job taking care of you. They've led you astray. Maybe you don't like how your manager parts seemingly are following God. And right now we just don't like God. And then the verse continues. Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food. The desert here, I would propose, could represent the unconscious. You inner outcasts, being exiled, live within the realm of your unconscious.
Speaker 1: You're exiled away from conscious awareness in your system, and thus you are living in somewhat of an internal desert, just like the Israelites in this verse. And they complain about not having food or water, the things that sustain them. You exiled parts perhaps feel starved. Perhaps you feel thirsty for something, for love, for truth, for communion. And then the Israelites say, we are disgusted with this wretched food. Whatever you exiles are being given in place of food and water. You're probably tired of it. Maybe it's contempt, maybe it's rejection. Whatever it is, you are probably tired of it. Much like the Israelites. And so I offer this reflection just in the hope that might resonate with someone listening out there today. It occurs to me that pretty much every experience possible of the human heart is somehow represented in the Bible in one way or another. And perhaps this experience that the Israelites had being worn out by their journey and complaining against God and Moses. Perhaps this experience might feel similar to some of your experiences. If the content of this podcast is resonating with you, you can find more@associates.com. With that, we'll end with our invocations. Our Lady, Our Mother, Untier of knots. Pray for us, Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist pray for us.
