18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Some people go through life without knowing exactly what they really want, what they really desire. Some people think what they really want is happiness, some think what they really want is peace and prosperity, others think what they really want is to marry a girl or a boy who would be a lifelong companion. The list could go on and on, and there may be so many things we want or desire. But do we really want or desire these things? More often than not, the things that we want or desire may change according to the circumstances we are in. Even though we may have gotten what we wanted or desired, quite likely it would only be a temporary thing or short-lived experience, since there will always be something else that would catch our attention. No matter how hard we try to fulfil our wants, we would only attain temporary gratification and satisfaction.

In the first reading, the Israelites had already been rescued from slavery in Egypt by God. Not only that, they had Moses to lead them. But were the Israelites satisfied and grateful for what God had done for them? No. They complained and complained. When in Egypt, they complained about being enslaved. When brought out of Egypt, they complained that they had no food in the desert. God still provided the Israelites with bread from heaven, even though they had been constantly unsatisfied and ungrateful. Even with bread from heaven, the Israelites still complained and complained. Such difficult people to please indeed.

What about us? Are some of us like the Israelites in some way? If our lives are constantly dictated or enslaved by our wants and desires, there will never be an end to our dissatisfaction, unhappiness and complaints.We will always be dissatisfied, unhappy, and unfulfilled even if we have supposingly attained all our wants and desires, because it is never enough, and even all is not enough. That is why St. Paul reminds us in the second reading: "You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of truth." What is this new self all about? It is a new self in Jesus, as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst." If our lives undergo a "spiritual revolution," if we are able to allow Jesus to be at the heart and centre of our lives, then there is no need for us to crave for anything else. There is no need for us to run after riches, wealth, happiness, recognition, success and fame, since we have Jesus, and Jesus is enough.

Today, let us look at the kind of lives we are living. Some of us call ourselves Christians, but in spite of receiving Jesus, some of us still want more. If we believe that Jesus is the bread of life who satisfies our every want and need, then why do we still look for other things? Is Jesus not enough for us? This does not mean we should not do our part to survive in this world, but it means we should consider what is it we ultimately want and desire. May we choose wisely what is it we really want and desire, for the betterment of our eternal future.