Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8, Ps. 34:2-9, Ephesians 4:30-5:2, John 6:41-51
Dear friends, today we continue the journey we began a few Sundays ago. Jesus is in conversation with the crowd that came to him when he was planning to rest. Jesus had fed them bread and fish, which they ate satisfactorily. However, Jesus had no intention of feeding them with bread and fish again. Instead, He told them of the bread which comes from heaven and gives life to the world. They said: “Give us this bread always.” Jesus said: “I am the bread of life.” Clearly, the crowds were disappointed with Jesus for refusing to repeat the miracle of the loaves. How do we react when our expectations are unmet and our prayers unanswered? What lessons do we learn from today’s readings?
*1. Unmet Expectations Lead to Bitterness*
When these people came to Jesus, they looked pitiable. Jesus even described them as sheep without a shepherd. They came with great faith, and their physical needs were met. After eating to their satisfaction, they said: “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” (John 6:14). They wanted to take Jesus by force and make him a king. At this point, they had no doubt that God was in their midst. They did not know that the miracle was only a sign pointing to a deeper reality. They thought Jesus had come to feed them like their fathers who ate manna in the desert.
When the Jews realised they wouldn’t get food the second time, their love and admiration quickly turned to anger and hatred. They no longer saw Jesus as their king but a man who claimed to be from heaven. Last Sunday, we read how the Jews wanted Jesus to prove His divinity by performing another sign. “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?” (John 6:30). Jesus did not perform any sign. Hence, as we see in today’s Gospel passage, the Jews doubted Jesus divinity: “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (John 6:42).
When eating bread, they forgot they knew Jesus’ mother and father, but they remembered Joseph and Mary when the bread was no longer available. Why do we quickly forget what God has done in the past when our expectations are unmet? Why do we abandon our admiration, faith, and devotion when our prayers are not granted? Last Sunday, we read how the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt just because they wanted bread. They suddenly forgot how God miraculously delivered them with great signs and wonders from a four-hundred-year slavery in Egypt. They forgot how God parted the Red Sea in two, allowing them to cross on dry foot while the Egyptian army chased after them. Do not be ungrateful. In moments of difficulty and unanswered prayers, trust God and avoid bitterness.
*2. Bitterness is Self-destruction*
Apart from the crowd, another angry person in today’s liturgy is Elijah. In our first reading, we are told about how Elijah (who prevailed against four hundred prophets of Baal) was consumed by anger because he walked a whole day through the wilderness without food or water. In anger, Elijah prayed: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:4). Elijah’s exhaustion turned into bitterness, and he wished he would die.
Bitterness, whether against God, others, or ourselves, dries up our faith. We stop seeing the brighter side of our situation and begin to wish for or expect only the worst. Dear friends, let us face the truth: Every day is not Christmas Day. Life is a symphony of good and bad days. As in a piano, there are black and white keys.
Are you experiencing spiritual exhaustion? Do you wish to end it all? Do not be blinded by bitterness. Do not become blind to all the good things God has done for you in the past. Remember the good others have done also. Do not judge your entire life by today’s failure. Remember yesterday’s victories. Do not become blind to your self-worth and value. Know that there are better days ahead. In moments of difficulty and unanswered prayers, trust God and avoid bitterness.
*3. Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit; Let Go of all Bitterness*
In today’s second reading, St. Paul writes: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:30-32)
Do you know that complaining and murmuring make the Holy Spirit sad? What do we expect to get from God by making Him sad? Do you now see that bitterness only makes our situation worse? The book of Hebrews says: “Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).
No matter how bad things are for you, let go of all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, slander and malice. Do not fall into the trap Job’s wife set when his world fell apart. In Job, chapter 2, we read: “Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said, ‘Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?’ In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:8-10). In moments of difficulty and unanswered prayers, trust God and avoid bitterness.
*4. Even Though Life Seems Bleak, God Has Not Abandoned You*
I was touched by the fact that God had to send an Angel to feed Elijah after he had just prayed for death. Twice, the Angel brought food to Elijah, so much so that Elijah went on for forty days and forty nights without a single atom of hunger. Like Elijah, who took a nap of faith, learn to entrust your cares to God and rest. Surrender to God, and just as He sent an Angel to feed Elijah, God will send helpers your way. God will make a way where there seems to be no way.
God deserves our complete trust. If you are down and your prayers are not answered, if you don’t get that Job or that business deal, if you didn’t get promoted, if you still aren’t married or pregnant, if you didn’t pass that exam and so on, don’t get annoyed with God, don’t wish your death, don’t return to Egypt. Do not seek from human beings that which only God can do. Do not abandon truth, righteousness and integrity. Do not turn your back on God.
The crowd wanted ordinary bread, but Jesus offered something greater; the Holy Eucharist, the bread of life. Elijah wanted food and water, but God removed his hunger and tiredness for forty days. You might be wondering why God allows you to suffer so much. Everything happens for a reason. If Joseph had not experienced the hardship of serving in Potiphar’s house and the pain of being in prison, he would have failed as a Prime Minister. Flee from bitterness; God can see your tears. Be like Paul and Silas; stop complaining. Start praying and singing hymns to God even in prison (Read more in Acts 15:16-30). In moments of difficulty and unanswered prayers, trust God and avoid bitterness.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, fill us with a deeper sense of gratitude. Help us to understand that you care for us even though we cannot feel it now. Grant us the grace to remain steadfast in our challenges. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 1 Kings 19:4-8, Ps. 34:2-9, Ephesians 4:30-5:2, John 6:41-51).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu
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