1 Kings 19:4-8 / Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2 / John 6:41-51
If ever we have the time to relax and do some reminiscing, we might want to recall the good old days.
Oh yes, the good old days, like the school days, and for some of us school days might be decades ago.
And maybe we might even move on to the days of our youth. Those seem to be the good old days, when we were more energetic, more adventurous, more daring and more resourceful.
And then came the trials of life, when our spirits were put to the test and that formed us to be what we are now.
And talking about tests, there is this difference about how it is in school and how it is in life.
In school, we were taught the lesson and then given the test. In life, it is the other way around - we are given the test and then taught the lesson.
But whether a lesson or a test, we can look at it in two ways. It is either we complain about it or we complete it.
Come to think of it, we can complain about a lesson or a test and learn nothing from it, or we can complete the lesson and the test and be enriched by it.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Elijah was going through the test of his life. He was a great prophet who performed the marvels of God, but now he was running for his life as his enemies were hunting him down.
He complained, or lamented, as he said, “Lord, I have had enough. Take my life. I am no better than my ancestor.”
And with that, he laid down and went to sleep and didn't want to carry on anymore. But an angel woke him up, two times actually, to eat the bread and drink the jar of water that was before him, and with that, he got up and continued for 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
So even though Elijah complained about his test, he went on to complete it and finally met God on that mountain.
In the gospel, the people were complaining to each other about Jesus because of who He said He was, that He is the bread that came down from heaven.
Jesus had to tell them to stop complaining, just because they knew a bit of His family background.
They knew a bit, but there was much more to learn, and Jesus told them that to hear the teaching from God and to learn from it means that they must believe in Him as the bread from heaven.
We believe that Jesus came down from heaven to give us the heavenly teaching from God and that He is our bread of life.
Jesus is our Eucharistic bread which we consume at Holy Communion.
But there is also another heavenly bread that Jesus has given us and we received it at our baptism.
That heavenly bread is the Holy Spirit, the Lord of Life, who will teach us about the truth of lie.
So even though we may not be able to receive the Eucharistic bread as often as we wish, the Holy Spirit will be our spiritual nourishment for the road ahead in the journey of life.
The Holy Spirit will also lead us into a deeper communion with Jesus our Eucharistic bread.
The 2nd reading tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit by complaining about what we don't have or could not have.
The Holy Spirit completes our longings and sets us free so that we can learn the ways of God.
The lessons that we have to learn, besides to stop complaining, is not to hold grudges against others, not to lose our temper or raise our voices and others, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness.
Instead, we must learn to be like God, and that is to be kind, and forgiving each other as God forgave us in Christ.
The Holy Spirit teaches us the truth of life and so that we can learn the lessons of His heavenly teaching.
And when the tests of life come along, let us not fret and complain or grieve the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will provide us with the Eucharistic bread in our time of need.
So that like the prophet Elijah, we will rise and with the lessons we have learned, we will continue with the journey in the road ahead, and we will walk with love and thanksgiving in our hearts.