18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Grumbling and believing are two things most of us do well, but not, of course, at the same time.  Speaking for myself, thanks to the grace of God, I do not grumble as much as I used to, and again with the help of God’s grace, I have grown in faith and belief, even when everything in me wants to grumble. There are times when I battle within myself not to grumble, but instead to put my faith and trust in the Lord. What makes the difference is remembering to keep my eyes on Jesus.

In today’s first reading from Exodus, the Israelite community is in the desert, grumbling against Moses and Aaron, and not without reason.  They were in a tough spot and things were not going the way they had expected them to go.  Nothing good happens when people are “hangry” and that they were. And, as we all know, once a few good grumblers get going, others join in, and rather quickly, everyone is drawn into giving voice to their unhappiness. God’s people were complaining, demanding, and fearful, and were not believing that God cared for them and was with them.

But the Lord God heard their grumbling and gave them bread from heaven, proving that God would provide for them.  However, the Lord was testing them as well, to see if they would follow God’s instructions. God gives us what we need, but it seems there is always a catch. God always call us to go beyond ourselves, not to be content with where we are, but to keep growing. 

In today’s gospel, the crowds were looking for Jesus.  They were hungry for more of God’s word and for signs, and for anything else that Jesus could give them.  When they found him, what Jesus did give them was an invitation to believe in him, to trust him, to come to him.  He told them he was the bread of life and he alone could satisfy their every hunger and thirst.

Do we believe that today?  Do we believe that Jesus offers us the same invitation and the same assurances? There is much in our world, our Church, and our personal lives that might cause us to grumble and to lose faith.  Yet, in the midst of all of it, Jesus is with us and asks for our faith and trust. 

Even with Jesus with us, we will still be tested.  There will be more suffering and confusion to come, but we trust that Jesus will remain with us through it all. With God’s grace, we can resist the temptation to grumble and despair.  Instead, again with God’s help, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, listen to his words, and put our faith, weak as it might be, in him and him alone, for he is the bread of life.