put out into the deep

I must confess that I do this quite often. Complaining is something that I can hardly stop myself from doing but upon closer look, it does not really provide relief.

"With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses... In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us."

- NUMBERS 21

When we complain, our afflictions are multiplied. The minute we complain, the object we take issue with becomes much heavier. We also burden those with whom we are complaining to.

What is the cure of complaining then?

The Israelites were tired and hungry, walking on foot from Egypt to Israel. They complained about their food to one another.

Because God was the Giver of the food, He was displeased from their complaining. He sent snakes(!) to them and the people became all the more distressed (of course!). When we complain, worse things happen. If we do not complain, our suffering is not multiplied.

In God's mercy, He instructed that a saraph be made and mounted on a pole. Then, all those bitten by the serpents could only look at the saraph and be healed.

Looking at the saraph serpent is like looking at far worse things that can happen to us. It is acknowledging that complaining is futile and that we must even be grateful that we are not enduring something worse.

Jesus had much to complain about! He was sought after every day in his ministry to heal, preach, resolve controversies and answer difficult questions. Despite all the wondrous miracles he performed, he was still jailed, ridiculed, tortured and killed. He could have complained every single day about all of humanity being so very different than what they were created to be and He would have been justified.

Jesus did ask His heavenly Father a question - "Why have You abandoned me?" which is not so much a complaint but a cry of pain.

We see that there is a type of complaint that is just. Job 6 details a desperate yet humble man's questions for the Almighty. Deep sorrow and suffering ultimately turns our souls to ask, "Why?" and these questions turn us to God and He does not find fault in us.

When injustice happens, the soul must cry out to God - and cannot keep silent. This is not the kind of complaining we are talking about.

Complaining is akin to ingratitude. It is failure to see the good in situations that God has allowed to happen in our lives. If we can exchange mentioning a complaint and instead say a thanksgiving, this will do a lot in lightening our load.

Did you know that Jesus' birthplace, Bethlehem means "House of Bread"?

Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who believes in me will ever be thirsty.

John 6:35

The world is certainly hungry. On the news, you'll find hunger for food, hunger for health, hunger for happiness. The world is in dire need of material and spiritual bread.

What is this bread that we long for in our daily lives?

It is said that baking bread is a traditional way of observing religious days such as making hot cross buns during Lent and Good Friday, dyeing eggs red on Greek Easter bread to symbolize Jesus' blood and the Jewish making challah to commemorate the coming of Sabbath.

What does bread mean for me?

Many years ago, I visited Israel. The thing I remember most from the trip was coming home with a sense of meaning. I was convicted that all things were created for a purpose - not just each person and each life, but each thing - a rock, a pebble, a grain of sand.

That same truth is found in the Bible - every chapter, every sentence, every word is rich with meaning and purpose. That is why for centuries, scholars have been debating upon the meaning of Jesus' words that He is the BREAD OF LIFE.

Bread appears as manna to the Israelites. Unleavened bread was taken during fleeing from Egypt. It saves them from certain death from starvation. Bread was multiplied for the thousands.

"Terumah" (heave offering) is often mentioned in the Bible - signifying bread as something that is set apart for God. Though bread is quite commonplace then and now, this bread was something special - sometimes only the priests could eat.

Just like bread, Jesus was a man who breathed, talked, walked and looked like a man. But He was no ordinary man! His life was an offering for the salvation of the world and He was fully man and fully God! Pretty mind-blowing huh?

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. - John 6:51

Today at mass I received Christ in the Eucharist. As my hands touched the precious Host, I asked the Lord to use my hands for His glory. As I opened my mouth and touched the Eucharist, I asked the Lord to use my tongue as an instrument for His glory. How many of us believe that this is His true flesh?

Many believe that this is merely a symbol. They say that Jesus meant feasting on His Word instead of eating a piece of bread. Sometimes people say that Christ is not present because a sick person does not get healed from consuming it. I think that Jesus promised eternal life for all who received His body and blood, not physical healing from all our worldly ills.

Whatever you believe, Jesus' words remain. It is for each of us to decide. As for me, I believe.

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