18 Ordinary Sunday Year B Lord, Give Us This Bread Always
Introduction: May you continue to put your faith in the One Whom GOD has sent to you – Jesus our Master-Teacher and Lord, Who brings you the Bread of Life, for He is the Bread of Life.
Some people only turn to GOD when they want some special sign or miracle. They fail to see how GOD is continually active in their lives. They want the Lord Jesus to perform in some unbelievable way, and they miss GOD’s action in ordinary events. We are challenged to realize how present GOD is in providing for us every moment of every day often through the compassionate care of other people whom GOD has placed in our lives. We need to take seriously the words we pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We ask that GOD our Abba-Father sustain us by providing for our common and daily needs. When we see GOD’s presence in the ordinary, we will then be open to the even more spectacular ways the Lord Jesus works in our lives.
GOD is the giver of the Bread of Life. GOD sustains people with that which is necessary for their life journey. Our First Reading recalls how GOD provides manna for the Israelites as they journey through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. Psalm 78, which is the history of the Chosen People, focuses today on the same event as the reading from Exodus. In the letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul urges the faithful to put away their old ways and put on the new self – that of being righteous in GOD’s eyes. As we continue the “Bread of Life” Chapter in John’s Gospel, the people who have been fed at the multiplication of the loaves (last Sunday’s Gospel), ask Jesus questions that show they have missed the point of His teaching and His signs (miracles). Jesus leads the dialog by telling the people the point of all He does is GOD’s giving them the true Bread of Life.
First Reading Exodus 16:2-4,12-15:
The Lord sends manna from heaven
Commentary: The journey of the people of Israel through the desert of Sinai is regarded in the Bible from two quite different angles. From one angle it is the time of perfect harmony between God and his people, the honeymoon period when Israel was sublimely faithful to the Lord. From the other angle, it is seen as the beginning of murmuring against the Lord, which will grow into the infidelities that eventually led to Israel’s punishment by the Exile to Babylon. This account of bread from heaven shows both Israel’s impatience with the Lord and the Lord’s supreme patience with Israel. The historical basis is that God cared for his people and provided them with food during a generation’s wandering in the savagely inhospitable desert of Sinai, a huge, infertile expanse of rock and sand, where virtually nothing grows. This care is focused on manna, a sweet substance excreted from bushes on Sinai in a way that Israel found miraculous. The story has grown in the telling: it is linked to keeping the Sabbath, for it could not be harvested on the Sabbath. Secondly, with typical Hebrew word-play, this odd substance is linked to the Hebrew expression manhu, meaning ‘What is it?’
Responsorial Psalm 78:3-4,23-25,54:
The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
The Responsorial Psalm relates the same events as in the First Reading. We hear about the people raising their discontent against GOD and GOD providing for them with bread (manna) and the flesh of birds. Evident is GOD’s care in spite of the people’s careless attitude toward GOD.
Second Reading Ephesians 4:17,20-24:
Put aside your old self and put on the new
Commentary: In his great classic letter to the Romans, Paul teaches that by being baptized into Christ’s death we have been joined with Christ in his resurrection and become a new being, fused with Christ or grafted into Christ. He sees us as living with Christ’s life principle, the Spirit, rather than our old corrupt life principle. In First Corinthians he enlarges on the ways of life which this brings, the varied gifts of the Spirit which together make up the Christian body, the Body of Christ. Now, in Ephesians, we see a consequence of this. The Christian body is repeatedly described as a New Man, a new creation, after the model of the Second Adam. What does all this talk of ‘new creation’ amount to in real terms? Firstly, it poses the question of whether we have really been renewed. Are my values and attitudes radically new as a Christian? Do they differ from the priorities that I would have without Christianity? Particularly with regard to the Body of Christ and its ministries, do I play my part in the web of Christian activities which go to make up the Christian community? Do I really exercise my talents in a way that builds up the community?
Gospel John 6:24-35: It is my Father
who gives you the bread from heaven; I am the bread of life
Commentary: After the account of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus explains the significance of the event. First, he stresses that its importance lies not in the food that goes bad, but in that of which it is a sign. They must understand the sign-value of the food, its ultimate fulfilment in Jesus of the manna in the desert: we do not live by bread alone but by every word which comes from the mouth of God. The whole explanation is built on a contrast between Moses and Jesus, between the food given by Moses and that given by Jesus. Jesus is the bread of life not only as the Eucharistic bread but first of all as revelation. We often concentrate exclusively on the Eucharistic meaning of this chapter. It is, however, belief and understanding which is first explained and first required, and only then is attention turned to eating the Eucharistic bread. The explanation is situated with Jesus in the synagogue at Capernaum, and – after the manner of Jewish sermons of the time – each phrase of the scriptural quotation from the Book of Exodus is commented in turn: Bread from heaven / he gave them / to eat.
Reflection: Is there anything in this life that can truly satisfy our deepest hunger and longing? Many sought Jesus out because he offered them something no one else could give - bread from heaven from the very hand of God himself. When Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish to provide a refreshing and satisfying meal for more than 5000 people (see John 6:1-15), they wanted to make him their king - no doubt because they wanted more. When Jesus withdrew from the crowd and quietly returned to Capernaum to be with his twelve disciples, they ran to seek him there (John 6:24-25). Jesus met them with a probing question - are you looking for physical food that perishes or food that gives eternal life?
Jesus offers us the bread of heaven
which produces spiritual life in us
Do you hunger for the bread of life? The Jews had always regarded the manna in the wilderness as the bread of God (Psalm 78:24, Exodus 16:15). There was a strong Rabbinic belief that when the Messiah came, he would give manna from heaven. This was the supreme work of Moses. Now the Jewish leaders were demanding that Jesus produce manna from heaven as proof of his claim to be the Messiah. Jesus responds by telling them that it was not Moses who gave the manna, but God. And the manna given to Moses and the people was not the real bread from heaven, but only a symbol of the bread to come.
Jesus makes the claim that only God can make: I am the bread of life. The bread that Jesus offers is none else than the very life of God. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our hearts. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord's Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites.
Only Jesus can satisfy our deepest
hunger for everlasting truth, life, and love
Jesus' question to the crowd, and each one of us as well, echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy" (Isaiah 55:2)? There are two fundamental types of hunger - physical and spiritual. Only the Lord Jesus can satisfy the deepest hunger in our hearts - the hunger for everlasting truth, life, and love. Jesus alone can satisfy our hunger for truth - because in him alone is the Truth which is found in God. Jesus alone can satisfy our hunger for life - because he alone can give us abundant life - the supernatural life of God which transforms us now and lasts forever. Jesus alone can satisfy our deepest hunger for love - the love of God that knows no end, that never fails nor forsakes us, that outlasts sin and death. Jesus alone can satisfy the eternal hunger of our hearts, mind, and spirit.
Doing the works of God: Jesus spoke about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God, namely to believe in God's Son whom he has sent into the world. The Lord Jesus offers a new relationship with God which issues in a new kind of life - a life of sacrificial love, selfless service, and the forgiveness of others which corresponds to God's mercy, goodness and loving kindness; a life of holiness, purity, and truth which corresponds to God's holiness; and a life of obedience and trust which corresponds to God's offer of abundant life, peace, and happiness. This is the work which Jesus directs us to and enables us to perform in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you hunger for the bread which comes down from heaven and thirst for the words of everlasting life?
Lord Jesus, you are the true Bread of Heaven. Only you alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing and hunger of my heart. Nourish me with the bread of life that I may be truly satisfied in you alone as the giver of life
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: God is our landlord, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. "Our wish, you see, is to attain eternal life. We wish to reach the place where nobody dies, but if possible, we do not want to get there via death. We would like to be whisked away there while we are still alive and see our bodies changed, while we are alive, into that spiritual form into which they are to be changed when we rise again. Who wouldn't like that? Isn't it what everybody wants? But while that is what you want, you are told to quit. Remember what you have sung in the psalm: 'A lodger am I on earth.' If you are a lodger, you are staying in someone else's house; if you are staying in someone else's house, you quit when the landlord bids you. And the landlord is bound to tell you to quit sooner or later, and he has not guaranteed you a long stay. After all, he did not sign a contract with you. Seeing that you are lodging with him for nothing, you quit when he tells you to. And this, too, has to be put up with, and for this, too, patience is very necessary." (excerpt from Sermon 359A,8).
Cleaning is an “in-thing”: “What emerges from within a man, that and nothing else is what makes him impure.” —Mark 7:20. “All these evils come from within and render a man impure.” —Mark 7:23
The source of “acts of fornication, theft, murder, adulterous conduct, greed, maliciousness, deceit, sensuality, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, an obtuse spirit” (Mk 7:21-22) is the impurity inside us. Consequently, it is very important to be cleansed inside and to remain clean inside. This means that:
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of God’s most precious gifts because of its cleansing power. The penitential rite at the beginning of Mass is one of the more important moments of our day and life. To hear God’s cleansing Word daily is even more necessary than to wash daily (see Eph 5:26; Jn 15:3). Fasting, because of its cleansing power, should be highly valued.
The defilement from most TV programs and what we view on our handheld electronic devices is intolerable. “Dirty language” and “dirty pictures” are aptly named and are worse than living in a garbage can. The defilement from unforgiveness must be removed immediately (see Mt 5:25). Be clean and stay clean — deep inside — and thus be free and holy (see Jn 8:36).
Prayer: Father, whatever it takes, cleanse the temple of my heart (see Jn 2:15ff). “The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” —Gn 2:7. St. Jerome Emiliani dedicated his life to aiding the poor.
The personal action for today: Do I sometimes miss GOD’s point because I am so caught up in events that wow me or because I am looking for GOD to do something miraculous for me? Do I trust GOD enough to realize that the Lord Jesus always provides for me and others? How can I put more faith in the One Whom GOD has sent – Jesus, first and foremost, but also the other ambassadors of the Good News? How can I be an instrument that the Lord Jesus uses to bring the Good News to others today, this week, and this year?
Saint John Vianney: A man with vision overcomes obstacles and performs deeds that seem impossible. John Vianney was a man with a vision: He wanted to become a priest. But he had to overcome his meager formal schooling, which inadequately prepared him for seminary studies. His failure to comprehend Latin lectures forced him to discontinue. But his vision of being a priest urged him to seek private tutoring. After a lengthy battle with the books, John was ordained.
Situations calling for “impossible” deeds followed him
everywhere. As pastor of the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were indifferent
and quite comfortable with their style of living. His vision led him through severe
fasts and short nights of sleep. With Catherine Lassagne and Benedicta Lardet, he
established La Providence, a home for girls. Only a man of vision could have such
trust that God would provide for the spiritual and material needs of all those who
came to make La Providence their home.
His work as a confessor is John Vianney’s most remarkable accomplishment. In the winter months, he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling people with God. In the summer months, this time was increased to 16 hours. Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly vocation, he could not have endured this giving of self day after day. Many people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing the things they always wanted to do but never had the time. But John Vianney had no thoughts of retirement. As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in serving God’s people. Even the few hours he would allow himself for sleep were disturbed frequently by the devil. Who, but a man with vision, could keep going with ever-increasing strength? In 1929, Pope Pius XI named him the patron of parish priests worldwide.
Indifference toward religion, coupled with a love for material comfort, seem to be common signs of our times. A person from another planet observing us would not likely judge us to be pilgrim people, on our way to somewhere else. John Vianney on the other hand, was a man on a journey, with his goal before him at all times.