Close your book of complaints

I was listening to a friend today in which she was discussing about her niece having bad things to say about her sister - my friend's niece's mother.

It reminded me of what Fr Alan had said. 

Fr Alan said, "Close your book of complaints!"

We have so many things to complain about - we do not have the right parents, our parents drink too much, our sister is too fat, our husband is too ugly, our wife is too lazy, our parish priest is too old, and the lists goes on.  Under all of these complaints, is our grievance against God, that God has got it wrong and sold us short.

This is why Fr Alan taught us to close our books of complaints.

I said to my friend that perhaps she should have told her niece that if she had nothing good to say about her mother, then she should keep silent.

Having a complaining culture is not conducive for us to be Christians. 

So, accept what God has given us and accept that what God has given us is good. Remember, God does not give poison to his children.

Let us consider  "Blessed are the poor . . ." from Matthew 5. In the JB, the current UK liturgical Bible, it is written as "Happy are the poor . . ."  

Fr Alan asked us if we knew what happiness meant? He was referring to the Beatitudes.  

Fr Alan said, "Happiness means we are in the right place."

Are you in the right place? Are you happy with your vocation? Are you happy in your religious life? Are you happy in your marriage? OR Do you have complaints to make against God? 

Happy are the poor, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. You see when you are poor, i.e. knowing that nothing belongs to you, you are very happy and blessed. I remember an English lady saying, "Procession is a curse." If you have nothing, then there is nothing to worry about.  

Even when one is financially rich, one can be blessed when one knows everything belongs to God. This means we become free with our money, our possessions - our homes etc. This gives us a huge freedom. WHY? This is because we know we are in the right place. 

So let us pray: Almighty God and Heavenly Father, help us to appreciate everything we have received from you is good. I thank you for my parents, for what you have given me, my siblings, my community, the Holy Mother Church, my friends etc. I thank you most for Fr Alan, whom has taught me so much about my faith. I ask you to bless Fr Alan and let him come before you in your heavenly throne and rejoice with you, with Jesus Christ your son, and the Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.