Eighteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

When Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents, so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved. “Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord. “Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people?”

There are times in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by what is going on. We might be ill, persecuted, sorrowful, fearful, or any number of things and pray to God for a way out. We might be upset with God because we are in a rut and don’t have a sense of progress in our lives. We might be angry that others are complaining to or about us. We might wonder why God is treating us so badly after all we have done for Him in our lives. We might even worry we’ve done something wrong and are being punished for it. All these feelings are part of being human, we know, love, and serve imperfectly and so time and time again we find something we can grumble about. However, if we trust God and prayerfully ask for His help, He will give it to us and we will eventually find our burdens lifted, the obstacles in our way removed, and our spirits renewed. We simply must be patient and let not our hearts be troubled by worldly things, nor should we allow our minds to become so prideful we mistakenly believe God owes us in some way. Whatever aid He gives comes as a gift, not a repayment.

What do we grumble about? How can we let go of our grumblings and trust in God’s Divine Providence? How can we remind ourselves doing God’s Will is not a burden, but an opportunity to grow in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, protect us from the temptation to complain about our lives.

Amen.