Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What Good is Just Complaining? From Murmurs to Mission

I AM THE LIVING BREAD

Merciful God, help us. Life can be hard and we find ourselves struggling. We often end up complaining and doubting. We can get stuck with only seeing the negative and lose sight of all the goodness around us. We forget that you are the living bread. Open our hearts and minds to feast on your love.

How has judging or complaining about someone gotten in the way of really getting to having a relationship with them?

At a refugee camp in East Africa, during the pandemic, a Maryknoll priest is reminded to bring Eucharist to everyone.

Once, on the feast of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ), Maryknoll Father David Schwinghamer, MM learned an important lesson about the Eucharist. In a refugee camp in Tanzania, a leader of the Church came to him and said, “now it is time to bring Holy Communion to the sick.” Father David Schwinghamer, MM was inspired by her matter-of-fact attitude. In Africa, the coronavirus pandemic highlighted many of the crevices, gaps, and breaches in our global community. It has also shown us the limitations of our church institutions and ministry practices. Many churches are closed and in some cases empty. Often in a time of deep crisis, we become unable to find ways of concretely sharing the “living bread” with those in need. As we continue to navigate a “post-pandemic” world, like Fr. Dave was in the refugee camp, we are reminded that we need to be attentive to those who are not at the table, but nonetheless need nourishment to be brought to them.

The Jews 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? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “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. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Jn 6:41-51

Murmuring and doubts arise when Jesus presents the path of eternal life to his followers. The way of missionary discipleship follows this same path. As it was for his followers, we too encounter bumps in the road. We doubt. We make mistakes. We complain. We can be harsh judges, or uncharitable, or slow to forgive. As a community we succumb to excluding those who are different from us, and fail to meet the needs of our neighbor. But the living bread of God’s unconditional love that Jesus offers, points us back to the path—faithfulness to not only accept the gift of God’s love, but to let it transform us so that we can share it with others.

How are we called as a community to move beyond murmuring and complaints to become living bread of love for others?

This week, make a list of 5 people who are hungering for love and acceptance. Pick two on the list and come up with a plan to become the “living bread” to them this week. Listen to their concerns, be present to the needs, offer them nourishment, both spiritually and materially.

Lord, help us to move beyond murmuring and complaints, becoming instruments of your love and compassion in the world. Empower us to be living bread for others, offering nourishment and care to those in need, both spiritually and materially. May our actions reflect the teachings of Christ and bring hope to those around us.