My Old Testament professor, Dr. Richard Syré, was forever mentioning the “murmuring theme” in Exodus and Numbers. The people of Israel constantly murmured about things as they wandered in the wilderness. They complained about not having water. They muttered about the lack of bread. They griped about Moses and Aaron on general principles.

Maybe moaning about things is part of human nature.  St. Benedict was aware of how destructive murmuring was to a Christian community.  He condemns it five times in his rule for monks.

The difficulty isn’t that people complain, but that they sow seeds of dissension by grousing to people, often the wrong people. I have said it repeatedly, if A is upset by something that B did, A should talk to B and not complain to C.

Also, people need to work toward solutions rather than just sounding off. I belonged to an organization where some people constantly complained about things. I noticed that they never volunteered to help solve the problems.

Murmuring can be diminished by acknowledging that no group ever agrees on everything. We always have to seek a greater good rather than demanding our own personal desires be met. That’s called love. St Paul expressed it beautifully, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

Maybe we could try murmuring words of love rather than gripes.

Read 1 Corinthians 13, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne