Sunday, August 4, 2024

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 16:2-4,12-15; Ephesians 4:17,20-24; John 6:24-35)

Bishops are concerned that most Catholics do not believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. This is a grave and real matter. But an even more important question is, who is Jesus? Many, both Christians and non-Christians, think of him as a sage like Sophocles or a prudent leader like Lincoln. Last week we saw Jesus giving signs that he is God. Just as God gave the Israelites manna to feed them physically, Jesus gave those who sought him bread that nourished them both physically and spiritually.

In today's gospel, Jesus reveals that he is the Bread of Eternal Life, but first, he discusses with the Jews their values. He accuses them of seeking him not for the spiritual bread he imparts but for the bread that satisfied them without having to work for it. He says this pursuit is futile because physical bread will eventually run out. Sooner or later, this bread will sour like the manna left on the desert floor. Instead, Jesus offers himself, "the Bread of Life," that lasts forever. He says that if they accept him as the Son of God with faith, he will continue to satisfy them endlessly.

Many in the world today, like these Jews, strive to satisfy themselves with things that eventually lose their value. They think these things will bring them happiness. There are many substitutes for true happiness, but they can be summarized in four words starting with the letter "p": power, property, prestige, and pleasure. These attract many but are ultimately like bread that perishes. Olympic athletes who strive to be the fastest runner or the strongest boxer will soon see another athlete who runs faster or punches harder. The rich will see their millions dissipate when they realize they cannot buy health or love. The famous today do not have to wait many tomorrows to see others receive more attention than them. And pleasure often proves to be a curse due to its harmful effects, as has happened with many smokers.

But the Jews resist Jesus' offer. They ask for proof of his relationship with God. Evidently, they have forgotten the multiplication of loaves. Anyway, they want another sign before they believe in him. They suggest it be something like the manna their ancestors ate in the desert. Jesus responds that this "bread from heaven" was a gift from God, his Father, and now he gives them the true bread from heaven, which is himself. He adds that accepting him as the Son sent by God is equivalent to doing God's work or, better, fulfilling his will.

So far, we have not had to consider the Blessed Sacrament to explain how he is the Bread of Life. His words and actions can be considered spiritual nourishment to be consumed. However, it is necessary to keep a proper sense of Jesus for him to be the substance that satisfies the world’s hunger. It is not simply that he has the most recognized name in history. Rather, he can satisfy the world because he is God. That is, Jesus is the spiritual creator that allows the existence of all being by participation in Him. We can compare him to the sun. Just as the sun's rays create life on earth, the metaphysical action of God gives existence to the physical universe. Jesus Christ has come to reveal God's will through his words and even more through his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Him we trust and follow.

 

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 16:2-4,12-15; Ephesians 4:17,20-24; John 6:24-35)

Bishops are concerned that most Catholics do not believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. This is a grave and real matter. But an even more important question is, who is Jesus? Many, both Christians and non-Christians, think of him as a sage like Sophocles or a prudent leader like Lincoln. Last week we saw Jesus giving signs that he is God. Just as God gave the Israelites manna to feed them physically, Jesus gave those who sought him bread that nourished them both physically and spiritually.

In today's gospel, Jesus reveals that he is the Bread of Eternal Life, but first, he discusses with the Jews their values. He accuses them of seeking him not for the spiritual bread he imparts but for the bread that satisfied them without having to work for it. He says this pursuit is futile because physical bread will eventually run out. Sooner or later, this bread will sour like the manna left on the desert floor. Instead, Jesus offers himself, "the Bread of Life," that lasts forever. He says that if they accept him as the Son of God with faith, he will continue to satisfy them endlessly.

Many in the world today, like these Jews, strive to satisfy themselves with things that eventually lose their value. They think these things will bring them happiness. There are many substitutes for true happiness, but they can be summarized in four words starting with the letter "p": power, property, prestige, and pleasure. These attract many but are ultimately like bread that perishes. Olympic athletes who strive to be the fastest runner or the strongest boxer will soon see another athlete who runs faster or punches harder. The rich will see their millions dissipate when they realize they cannot buy health or love. The famous today do not have to wait many tomorrows to see others receive more attention than them. And pleasure often proves to be a curse due to its harmful effects, as has happened with many smokers.

But the Jews resist Jesus' offer. They ask for proof of his relationship with God. Evidently, they have forgotten the multiplication of loaves. Anyway, they want another sign before they believe in him. They suggest it be something like the manna their ancestors ate in the desert. Jesus responds that this "bread from heaven" was a gift from God, his Father, and now he gives them the true bread from heaven, which is himself. He adds that accepting him as the Son sent by God is equivalent to doing God's work or, better, fulfilling his will.

So far, we have not had to consider the Blessed Sacrament to explain how he is the Bread of Life. His words and actions can be considered spiritual nourishment to be consumed. However, it is necessary to keep a proper sense of Jesus for him to be the substance that satisfies the world’s hunger. It is not simply that he has the most recognized name in history. Rather, he can satisfy the world because he is God. That is, Jesus is the spiritual creator that allows the existence of all being by participation in Him. We can compare him to the sun. Just as the sun's rays create life on earth, the metaphysical action of God gives existence to the physical universe. Jesus Christ has come to reveal God's will through his words and even more through his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Him we trust and follow.

 

Sunday, August 1, 2021

 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 16:2-4.12-15; Ephesians 4: 7.20-24; John 6:24-35)

People always seek happiness. Many think that money will bring it to them. So they buy lottery tickets. However, according to the researchers, those who win the lottery do not stay happy for long.  Sure, they feel excited for a while, but before long their temperaments change. First, the average person who wins the lottery goes broke within a few years. Another thing is that the lucky winner soon discovers that money cannot satisfy the heart’s deepest desires. They are like the Jews in the gospel today thinking that receiving free bread will make them happy.

Jesus rebukes the people for having sought him out to get more food. It is not that he wants to deny them the necessities of life. Rather, he wants to instruct them that the fulfillment of life's purpose lies not in satisfying the appetites but in believing in him. For this reason, he proclaims at the end of the passage: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger ... "

By giving us himself as food, Jesus shows us the need to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. God, our Father in heaven, gives us life as a gift. To thank him for this great benefit we have to give ourselves to others in genuine love. As soon as we realize this truth, we draw closer to the Father and we feel His great care for us. We have the examples of the saints to help us in this endeavor. Father Gratian Murray was a brother of La Salle who worked for many years in the Philippines. He there he founded an orphanage. When the bishop asked Brother Gratian to receive ordination for lack of priests in his diocese, he could not refuse. Then, Father Gratian became ill with cancer. Medicines came from the United States to cure it. However, Father Gratian refused to take them because they required him not to drink any alcohol for thirty days. He said it was more important for his boys to receive Holy Communion than for him to be cured.

In the first reading the Israelites ask of the soft powder: "'What is this?'" Moses replies, "'This is the bread that the Lord gives you for food.'" Scientists today try to explain the phenomenon of bread. They say that the desert bread is like the resin of the tamarisk tree that has the texture of wax and melts to the ground with the sun. It may be, but we Catholics explain it differently. The bread of the desert is a prototype of the bread that Jesus offered at the Last Supper with his disciples and that is offered to us in every mass. It is his flesh that, like the bread of the desert, gives life, not so much physical life but eternal life.

A few years ago, a book entitled White Bread was released. The author wrote that many scoff at white bread today as non-nutritious, but they are wrong. He added that white bread is fortified with vitamins and has no impurities. It is something like that with the Eucharistic bread. Some non-Catholics think it is of little value. However, we know that its value is infinite. It nourishes us not so much with physical life but with eternal life.