cryptic homily notes on overcoming our grumbling

today’s mass readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080121.cfm

things i grumble about: inching forward in los angeles freeway traffic in my car; people who cut in my line; cumbersome processes on websites that ask me to prove who i am. the center of it all? things are not going like i think they SHOULD.

being “hangry”—snickers’ commercial with football game with friends. “you’re playing like betty white out there!” “here, eat a snickers– better?” as he turns back into himself–“better.” the lesson: “you’re not you when you’re hungry”

in the first reading, the israelites grumbled against God– “better to stay slaves in egypt than to die of hunger in the desert” but the Lord tests them to see if they follow his instructions. God gives them a new way to survive that they have not seen before: manna. but they question it. things are not going like the isaelites think they SHOULD go.

do the israelites really prefer the familiarity of being slaves than enduring the hardship of their unknown journey to freedom?

grumbling shows our lack of trust in God’s care and providence. grumbling shows our closed-mindedness to new gifts that God gives us. grumbling shows that we want God to do things our way. grumbling wants to replace the words “… thy will be done” in the Lord’s prayer with “… MY will be done”

this is the “new exodus”

“Jesus said to them,
‘I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.’”

we are fed with jesus’ real presence. it will sustain us and be more than enough. will we prefer the comfort and captivity that the world offers instead of something new that jesus offers us in love? do we complain about the crosses and hardships that we experience right now and not realize that jesus offers us a new way of seeing and approaching this new exodus of love/justice/peace to real freedom?

st paul’s teaching in the second reading is:

“…you should put away the old self of your former way of life,
corrupted through deceitful desires,
and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and put on the new self…” ephesians 4

let us pray for the grace to have renewed spiritual minds and again put on our new life in Christ