We Use Just What We Need

Today we are going to focus on distinguishing wants and needs, contentment with what we have, knowing when enough is enough, wise use of the gifts of creation.

Scriptural Focus

Each gathered just what he or she needed.  (Exodus 16:18)

Reader:  Sections of reading can be divided up to be read by those present.

God’s people were traveling a long way through a desert, where they were very hungry and unhappy.  God spoke to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven.  Each day the people should gather just enough for their families to eat that day.  Tell them they must not save it, except on the sixth day, so they can rest every seventh day.

Moses told the people that God would provide for them.  The next morning, everyone awoke to a miracle:  all around them small, white wafers lay on the ground.  These were round and tasted sweet.  They called it “manna”, which means, “WHAT IS THIS STUFF?”

“This is the bread God has promised!” Moses said.  “Take just what you need for today.  Only on the sixth day, take enough for two days so we can have a day of rest on the seventh day.”

The hungry people began gathering this miraculous bread.  Some took large amounts, some small, but they all had the right amount for their families.

Some ignored Moses’ instructions and saved some of the bread.  In the morning, they found this manna was full of worms!

Moses was not happy with them.  They had not trusted that God would provide for them the next day.  God did not send them more bread each day for a long time to come.

The Manna Song [click to play]
Worms in the Bread [click to play]

Questions for sharing, reflection, and journaling:

Take a few quiet moments to think about what you heard and your response to these question

    • Why do you think God asked the people to take only what they needed each day?
    • Moses told the people that God would provide for them.  How do you experience God providing for you?
    • God told the people that if they worked on 6 days they would have enough food to rest on the 7th day–the Sabbath.  How can you trust that you have worked hard enough for 6 days and show you are willing to receive God’s gift of rest on the Sabbath?

Share your thoughts with one another. Write some of your thoughts in another page of your Journal or draw a picture of this story. Copy the Scripture quote in your journal: “Each gathered just what he or she needed”  Exodus 16:18  You could copy the verse in fancy lettering and with colored pencils or markers.

Handouts for you to enjoy

Craft Activity

Upcycled Shopping Bags;  Supplies needed:  one reusable shopping bag per child, scraps of felt and fabric, sewing scissors, a variety of buttons, cloth markers, needles and thread, adhesive-tech glue gun.  This could also be adapted and created on a brown paper bag.

Each child decides how to personalize their bag. Encourage them to focus on a theme from Earthkeepers:  “food rules” for not wasting food, reusing/recycling or creation care.  For example, they may want to decorate it using images from nature, cut out shapes and letters on felt or fabric.  There is a website you can subscribe to called:  favecrafts.  It is free.   If you type in the search bar “upcycled reusable shopping bags, you will find some samples.       

  • Use cloth markers to draw on cloth.
  • Use buttons, stickers, other small items to decorate bag.With adult supervision, use glue gun to add items to bag.

A Saint for this Week:  St. Martin de Porres

St. Martin de Porres lived a long time ago in Peru (South America)  Find Peru on a map.  You have probably already clicked on the link mentioned above and found the picture of and prayer to St. Martin de Porres.    You can cut out a picture and prayer for each person.  You will see interesting items in the picture of St. Martin de Porres:

Dog, bird, cat, and mice: He especially loved animals and tried to help them. Broom: He saw work as holy and an important way to help people. Crosses: He loved Jesus and Mary and tried to live like they did.

YouTube Video:  St. Martin de Porres

For children:

For adults:

Reflection on Pope Francis Encyclical:  Laudato Si

Children:  We all need to take care of creation.  But we have all gotten used to wasting and throwing away things.  When we act like it’s okay when poor people don’t have enough to eat, it’s like we’re even throwing some people away.   That’s not right!  We shouldn’t waste things or people.  Whenever we throw away food, it’s like we’re stealing it from the table of the poor, from the hungry!  We all need to figure out how to waste less food, and share more with the poor.  Let us ask God for help to make good choices about the food we buy and eat.

Adults:  Read Chapter 4 of Laudato Si.

Book Suggestions:

Children:  

  • Magic on Robins’ Hill, by Diane Marie Kramer
  • More for You,  by Nancy M. Berrios  

Adults:

  • What Are People For?,  by Wendell Berry
  • Geo-Justice: The Emergence of Integral Ecology, by Jim Conlon 

Closing Prayer:

In the Our Father we pray “Give us this day our daily bread”.  Let us pray that prayer together and offer it for all those who do not have the bread and food they need.

Adults:  I have connected with an organization called “Imperfect Food”:  It is an organization committed to reducing food waste.  I have begun ordering food from them twice a month.  It is delivered to my home.  The food I have received has not seemed  “imperfect” to me and I am happy to be part of an effort to reduce the 40% of food that is wasted in our country.  Even if you do not order from them I encourage you to go to their website and find out more about what they are doing to heal and help our planet.