You would expect that the followers of Jesus would have a more positive attitude, but that is not the attitude we hear in the beginning of today’s Gospel. I found this prayer by an unknown author that I would like to share with you:
“Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes, we have plenty of food to eat.
Thank you for this pile of dirty laundry, we have plenty of nice clothes to wear.
I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds. They were so warm and so comfortable at night. I know that many have no bed. My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy towels, and dirty lavatory. They are so convenient. Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly, it has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of enough leftovers for a few meals. Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned, it has baked so many things over the years. Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says you have richly blessed my family. I shall do them all cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.”
What a beautiful, positive attitude we hear in that prayer. This is not the attitude we hear from those who were complaining about Jesus in today’s Gospel. Jesus says to them “Stop complaining to each other.” Why were they complaining? They did not really know Jesus. If they had known Jesus properly, they would not have complained. We would all do well to pay heed to these words of Jesus when he says, “Stop complaining to each other,” because sometimes we, too, complain like the people of Jesus’ time.
You have the power to be happy, it is a question of attitude. See the presence of God within you, and count your blessings. We hear this in our Psalm today, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise is always on my lips.” What a beautiful attitude to have, compared to grumbling and complaining. When we have problems to overcome, and we all do from time to time, let us ask the Lord for his help. Jesus is the bread of life to strengthen us to overcome all our problems.
At the beginning, I shared with you a woman’s positive attitude. I would like to end with another person’s positive attitude:
“Today I can choose what kind of day I am going to have. I can complain if the weather is rainy, or I can be thankful because I don’t have to water the grass.
I can whine that I have to go to work, or I can be glad I have a job. I can feel sad that I don’t have more money, or I can be happy that I can balance my budget. I can cry for lack of friends, or I can be excited about starting a new relationship. Today and every day I have many things waiting to be shaped, and here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to me, with the help of Jesus.”