Memorial of Saint John Neumann, bishop
(I John 4:7-10; Mark
6:34-44)
The story of Jesus’
feeding of the is told in all four gospels.
It is also proclaimed at mass throughout the year. The narrative is central to the Catholic
understanding of the identity and mission of Jesus. It shows Jesus as the bread of life who has come
to bestow eternal life to believers in him.
In today’s first
reading the author says that God shows His love for humans by sending us His Son. It was not just a “once and for all”
event. Rather God sends His Son to us all
the time in the Eucharist. The Son Jesus
Christ does not only become part of us. Paradoxically,
by eating His body and drinking his blood, we become more part of him. We become more loving and truthful as we
secure a place for ourselves in his body, the Church.
Today, especially the
Church in the United States remembers St. John Neumann. He immigrated to the United States from Bohemia. Once here, he presided over the Eucharist
thousands of times as a priest and then as a bishop. Naturalized a citizen, he became the first saint
of the United States.
