Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Moses and God got fed up with the people grumbling, even though they had what they needed. On the other hand, Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed an uncomplaining but hungry crowd. When a Canaanite woman begged Jesus to heal her daughter, He echoed what the Israelites thought by saying that dogs should not get food meant for children. She answered that even dogs get table scraps, and Jesus rewarded her faith by working the miracle. Peter started to sink when Jesus invited him to walk on water toward Him, and the Disciples lacked enough faith to cure seizures that had repeatedly thrown a man’s son into fire or water. Do our prayers asking God for the same thing time and again sound like persistent grumbling or persistent faith?