Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God.”

Just as the people murmured and complained against God and Moses in the desert, they also do the same to Jesus. How could he be the bread that came down from heaven? Don’t they know his family? What gives him the authority to teach his message? However, their grumbling deafens them to the underlying message of Jesus. He has come to feed the world with a gospel of love, mercy, and grace that promises those who partake in it everlasting life. We should keep in mind the muttering crowd whenever we feel like complaining about something to God. Jesus asks for us to accept his word with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. We cannot do that if we are focused on what’s wrong in our lives.

What do we complain about? How can we foster a spirit of resignation in regards to these problems in our lives so that they do not interfere with God’s message of love, mercy, and grace? What lessons have we learned from the life of Jesus?

O Lord, draw me to yourself and your teachings.

Amen.