We know this to be true perhaps especially in regard to hunger. Do you know the meaning of the word “hangry”? If you spend some time around little kids, you will learn its meaning very quickly. Because they are smaller, children have less ability to cope with hunger than adults do. As a result, when they get hungry, they often get upset; they are “hangry” – hungry, and angry about it. This doesn’t happen only with children though – any person who reaches their physical limits, and needs sustenance, may find that their hunger leads to being exasperated, irritable, and worn down.
The “hangry” theme – that is, hunger leading to aggravation – is central to our readings today. In the first reading, the prophet Elijah is being hounded by the queen Jezebel. He is tired and worn down from the pursuit, so much so that he is ready to give up and die. An angel appears to him and recognizes that at the root of his despondency is hunger. And thus, he provides food miraculously, and Elijah is encouraged to “take and eat” so that he will have strength for the journey that lies ahead. In the Gospel of John, we hear the continuation of the Bread of Life discourse that we have heard the last few Sundays. Some people in the crowd are grumbling, wondering how exactly Jesus can say that he is the “bread that came down from heaven.” The Lord recognizes that their “murmuring” is the result of hunger. They are grumbling because they are not listening with ears of faith; as we heard last week, they just want another free meal, as when Jesus fed the multitude by multiplying the loaves. But he Lord wants to provide a deeper sustenance.
If physical hunger can lead us to becoming “hangry”, then no doubt spiritual hunger can do the same. In fact, whenever we find ourselves troubled, exasperated, or irritated in any way, it’s worth asking what is the cause of our anger – for what, so to speak, are we “hangry”? Often, I think we will find that at the root of our aggravation is the fact that we have reached some kind of limit. Perhaps we are in need of physical refreshment, but more often perhaps we are spiritually worn down, running low on those spiritual virtues – faith, hope, and love, especially – which sustain us and strengthen us for our journey.
Sometimes, anger is warranted. When we suffer injustice – when we recognize sin and disfunction among us, we rightly feel a sense of outrage and a zeal for justice. Perhaps like many of you, I have felt quite a bit of this kind of anger in recent weeks, as I have followed the reports of new Church scandals in our country and around the world. At the root of this anger is disappointment, exasperation, scandal – but also a kind of hunger, a deep desire for truth and transparency and integrity.
I will probably say more about these scandals in coming weeks, not least because they are not disappearing from the headlines any time soon. But as much as I find myself “hangry” at the moment – hungry for reform and renewal, angry at the abuses and betrayal – I found the words of today’s second reading very helpful. St. Paul encourages the Ephesian community to not give in to “bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling… all malice” for these are not of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think he means here the kind of righteous anger that is a response to injustice; Paul himself got angry at times with his different communities because of the hardness of their hearts. What he does mean is that we should always be on guard against pettiness, resentment, and meanness. Even when we find ourselves righteously angry – that is, when we hunger for justice and truth – we should be careful to not let those emotions turn into despondency and malice. Anger must never lead to hardened bitterness, empty fury, spite, despair. Those emotions are a sign that our righteous indignation has probably turned into something unrighteous, for like the Ephesians, we have failed to remember the presence of the Holy Spirit active among us.
Luca Signorelli, Communion of the Apostles (1512)
Despite our best efforts, all of us though will at times find ourselves weighed down by just those feelings. When we do, the Eucharist is a great remedy. The temptation to becoming “hangry,” by whatever has led us to spiritual limits, is a sign that our hunger needs the true sustenance that is the presence of the Lord Jesus. Did you notice the reason why St. Paul encouraged the Ephesians to be forgiving and merciful? “Because God has forgiven you in Christ”, he says. Each time we receive the Eucharist, we are reminded that we have received, and continue to receive, mercy and forgiveness freely from the Lord – not because we have earned it in any way, but because it is God’s gracious gift. That gift of mercy is the fruit of the Cross of Christ, and when we receive the Eucharist, we receive into our very bodies the redeeming presence of Jesus’s self-offering to the Father on behalf of us. That is no small thing. Every time we come to the altar to receive this Blessed Sacrament, we should search our own hearts to see if that kind of radical mercy, radical humility is also present within us.
Friends, take a moment today to think about what might be making you “hangry” – not physically but spiritually. Maybe like me you are frustrated by the problems within the Body of Christ; maybe it is something else entirely. Whatever it is, Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” We believe he is true to his word, and so we await the day that satisfaction comes. Until then, we must be attentive to not becoming worn down beyond our limits, letting our faith and charity be depleted that we are overcome by exhaustion and exasperation. If you find yourself at your spiritual limits, pray for a deeper awareness of the Lord’s sustaining love, and then receive what the Lord wants to give you at this Mass – “take and eat” that nourishment our heavenly Father provides to us his children, when the Lord himself satisfies the hunger of hearts. May this Eucharist today heal of us all that might tempt us to unrighteous anger and malice, give us the strength to work for justice, and remind us always to seek to forgive as he has forgiven us.
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