Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
“It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the Lord promised.” (Deuteronomy 31:3)
And so, Moses didn’t make it to the Promised Land. The Lord had told him that would be the case. He was too old, too worn, simply used up and spent. And yet, in 
today’s first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses doesn’t wail and complain to God about the unfairness of it all. No, having reminded them earlier of all that the Lord desires of them, he reminds them of God’s love for them, how He will win victory in battle for them… and introduces Joshua as the one who will next lead them.
We don’t always get what we want in life, whether it’s acclaim and accolades and worldly goods, or things that seem natural, that everyone who draws breath should have a right to enjoy—friends, love, a place to sleep, a bit of bread. Moses reminds us when those things do not come our way, becoming bitter and turning our face away from the Lord is not the answer. He reminds us to seek the faith and wisdom to acknowledge what experience has taught us about the criticality of total reliance on the Lord, despite the disappointments we might face, and to share the joy of that reliance as we hand over our responsibilities to those who will lead next.
