19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

• Lectionary Readings from the USCCB

Last Sunday we read about the Hebrews in the desert, complaining to God that they didn’t have enough to eat. This Sunday, our first reading tells of the prophet Elijah also complaining to God. At the limits of exhaustion, frustrated with the task God has called him to do, Elijah is tempted to give up. He lies down in the desert and prays for death, saying, “This is enough, O Lord!”

Even our gospel reading this week tells of people complaining about Jesus. The gospel says they “murmured about Jesus because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven,’ and they said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?'” In other words, who does this guy think he is? He can’t really help us.

Jesus tells them, “Enough! Stop murmuring among yourselves” (Jn 6:43). Murmuring is an especially unhelpful way of complaining. When you murmur, you aren’t really complaining to attempt to redress a wrong. You are complaining merely for the sake of grumbling, under your breath, sewing quiet little seeds of dissent and dissatisfaction.

It’s true, sometimes there are legitimate reasons to complain. But we should do it prudently and with charity. For example, if you notice a co-worker showing up to work intoxicated, the proper thing to do is lodge a formal complaint to your manager, who has the appropriate authority to address the situation. The wrong thing to do is gossip about her with all your other co-workers, which only causes others to think poorly about her. St. Francis de Sales, in his classic work, An Introduction to the Devout Life, points out that complaining can sometimes help us blow off steam about things that are bothering us. The trick is to complain to someone you trust will help calm you down, and not to someone who will only rile up your anger. That can be hard to do, which is why the scriptures so frequently warn against grumbling and murmuring.

All too often when we complain, the temptation is to focus on ourselves and our own problems instead of focusing on God. This only compounds the suffering we feel. This doesn’t mean our problems aren’t real. The Hebrews really were hungry. Elijah really was exhausted. They were not making up their pain. But if we focus too much on our own problems, it’s easy to forget God that always gives us what we need to persevere. Then our suffering leads to despair.

The Hebrews following Moses in the desert were complaining because they were hungry. God fed them with manna from heaven. Elijah was complaining because he didn’t feel strong enough to do God’s work. God fed him with bread from angels that sustained him on his journey. The crowd listening to Jesus couldn’t believe this son of a carpenter could give his own flesh to eat. Jesus said, “I am the living bread… the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). And he gives us that Flesh in the Eucharist.

In each instance, God provides for his people. He sustains them on the journey. He provides them with nourishment. God feeds us.

This is a very important message as we approach the start of a new semester. For many of you, it may be the start of your college career. You might be away from home for the first time. You will be in an unfamiliar environment. You might struggle to make friends. You might feel like a fish out of water. You might feel crushed by the demands of your classes. Trust me — the first semester of college, you will find plenty to complain about. You may even, like Elijah, feel like giving up and saying, “This is enough, O Lord!”

But listen to Jesus. Stop murmuring. Let Christ feed you. At Catholic Campus Ministry we make the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist available every week. Take advantage! Come, be healed and fed. Keep your focus on God and place all your problems and worries in his hands.

Let’s start the new semester taking St. Paul’s wisdom to heart:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.  All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ (Eph 4:3-32).

• Need inspiration to stop complaining? Fr. Mike Schmitz offers some great advice!