If your Eucharistic prayer was a "usual" this morning, you heard it twice.... you heard about dew.
The first time I heard "send down Your Spirit like the dewfall" I had to quick read the missalette to see if that's really what the priest said. Dew doesn't fall! Dew forms and it's just ... "there" in the morning.
Dew. Have you ever really thought about it? What does it mean to have the Spirit descend like the dewfall? That's quite a gentle example, isn't it? God doesn't force us to love him, we're not dumped on like a heavy rain. If we're open to his Spirit, the fruits of that Spirit will become an outward sign of God's love. Gently and quietly, we awaken to find that dew (the fruits of His labor) has formed and not only is God working in our lives, but He has become our source of life.
The folks in our first reading today experienced dewfall, too. After their grumbling, God send them dew. When the dew dried, what was left? Manna. Bread from heaven. Their bread of life, supplied by God every day. Did you know that God told Moses to put manna in the Ark of the Covenant? OK, so they got tired of manna and kept complaining (just how much bamanna bread can one eat, anyway?), but that "bread of heaven" was saved in their tabernacle to remind them of who is taking care of them.
Remind you of anyone? Sometimes we're like that, too. Which reminds me... I've got to remember to schedule some time to visit that Blessed Manna this week. Life has been busy - the new boss moved in last month; the boys are preparing for school, one for high school, the other for college and we still haven't gotten away this summer! Prayer time is usually the first to go when life gets in the way. However, nothing refreshes the soul or allows the dew to fall and form, like a visit to the Tabernacle. Find some time to pray this week.
