Friday May 24, 2024

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Good News Reflections:
Making scripture meaningful to your daily life
by Terry Modica

“When we take our complaints to God, a most amazing response occurs.”

Good News Reflection for:

Friday of the 7th Week of Ordinary Time
May 24, 2024

Today’s Prayer:

Empower, Lord, true marriages consecrated to You, able to give Your life in abundance, serving in Your Church. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
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Today’s Readings:

James 5:9-12
Ps 103:1-4, 8-9, 11-12
Mark 10:1-12
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052424.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-may-24-2024

What are you complaining about?

Unless we live as a recluse, daily we have to put up with people who behave stupidly or do something hurtful and sinful. Today’s first reading tells us: “Do not complain about one another, that you may not be judged.” Is there ever a day when we don’t grumble about somebody? Even recluses find plenty to complain about! Maybe we should spend a month in a monastery taking a vow of silence, just to get into the habit of not complaining.

When I pay attention to what I say about others, I start grumbling against myself, because I’m not a prophet who’s “an example of hardship and patience” like James mentions. But complaining against myself is the same sin as grumbling against others!

In begging God to teach me how to guard my mouth, I have learned that if we must complain, we should tell our complaints to him and only to him. Holy living means compassionately loving people even when we have reason to complain. When we’re too weak for that, God prefers that we say to him whatever we’d like to say to others, as in: “Grrrrr, God! Did you see what that Big Jerk just did? He nearly hit me with his truck!” And because our words melt into the silent love of God’s presence, instead of swearing at the guy or giving him a nasty gesture, we pray for his protection.

The reason we like to complain is because we’re looking for help. We’re wishing (often unconsciously) that the person we complain to will step in and do something about it. Well, when we take our complaints to God, a most amazing response occurs. God gives us sympathy. He cares! He helps us by taking away our frustration, dissolving it into his love. Our blood pressure goes down. We even lose interest in continuing the complaints.

If you enjoy complaining so much that you still seek out another person’s ear, here’s what you can do; it’s worked for me. Set up a little shrine in your home or choose a place at work that you can label your “sacred space”. At a time when there was a Big Jerk constantly troubling my life, I placed a small statue of Jesus the Good Shepherd in my bathroom. When I felt overwhelmed by an urge to complain, I excused myself to go to the bathroom (who’s going to stop me? hehehe). I knelt on the hard floor in front of the sink, looked at the image of Jesus, and prayed for God to bless the person who irritated me.

How can we complain while we’re in sacred space on our knees? How can we complain while we use our mouths to pray?

For more on the topic of this subject, see our video: “See Jesus Smiling At You” @ https://gnm-media.org/see-jesus-smiling-at-you/.

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