The Bread of Heaven

18^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – August 1, 2021

John 6:24-35

 

I get hungry.  Then I eat.

Then I am full, satisfied, content.

An even though I do not consciously think about it, I know deep down that the food I have eaten makes me healthy and helps me to live.

But then … after some time ….

… I get hungry again.

 

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life, and that all who come to him will never hunger nor thirst.  What a thought.  To be always full, satisfied, content.  To be always nourished and healthy – and to have life always!

 

That is the promise; that is the gift. Yet, the bread of life offered in the outstretched hand must be met by the hand that is open and willing to receive it.  So often I turn away, distracted by this, that, or the other thing.  And the outstretched hand of Jesus waits.

 

I am like those people in the crowd in today’s gospel.  They have just been filled with the loaves and fishes.  They have just been filled with God’s love and mercy.  Yet they are hungry again, and they seek Jesus again. 

 

This is the way of life.  This is the way of my life.  I am only human.  I am a sinner.  And so I am always hungry.  Yet Jesus does not deny me.  He does not judge me.  The outstretched hand offering the bread of life is always there … waiting.  Every Sunday in the Eucharist.  Every day in the Eucharist.  Every day in prayer.  In every moment and in every person I meet.  It is there – always.  That is the paradox of our faith.  If we are always hungry, we will always be fed.  We will always be satisfied.  We will always have life.  We need only have the desire.  We need only be hungry – for God.

 

To paraphrase The Most Interesting Man in The World (I am sure you remember those old Dos Equis commercials), “Stay hungry my friends.”

 

“Call me Ishmael”

 

Never Forget.

   This weeks gospel John 6:1-15 Jesus performs another miracle! Most of us have heard how Jesus fed 5,000 men with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.  Once again Jesus shows us that when we fall short and we do not have enough, he is our provider.  As written in the gospel Jesus saw the crowds approaching as he sat with his disciples.  He immediately tests Phillip and asks him a question. “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?”   Phillip answered that there wasn’t enough money to cover the cost to feed the 5000 men. Another disciple sees a young boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus took the fish  and began to distribute the loaves to  the 5000 men. He did the same with the fish. When all the men had eaten Jesus tells the disciples to pick up the leftovers and make sure nothing was wasted.   There were enough leftovers to fill 12 large baskets. After the people saw this they began to believe. 

    This gospel illustrates something so beautiful to me. When Jesus asks Phillip where he can buy the bread It was to help Jesus’s disciples realize that when they do not have enough, Jesus will provide. Not only did Jesus provide fir 5000 men, he said “pick up the leftovers”. He  even provided more than enough.   I don’t think  Jesus wasted one word.  Every word he spoke was intentional.  I’m not sure but if he asked a question it wasn’t because he needed the answer. I believe  Jesus knows it all. He asked Phillip a question to help make the miracle he was about to perform crystal clear.  That’s where I found the beauty in the miracle. I see the patience that Jesus has with us. He makes sure we don’t miss what he can do for us if we believe.  The language he uses while performing this miracle and his life are all ways to remind us that he is always in our corner. Especially in those tough battles.  

   I ask you  what is your reaction to those challenges that seem too much for you to deal with?  What is your response to life when it gets a little uncomfortable? Have you ever said , “there is no way”? Have you ever said “there isn’t enough”? This gospel shows us that Jesus makes a way when there is no way.  It’s shows us that Jesus is always ready to step in when we need him most.  He steps in to do what we can not do.  He is there to lift the weight that we can not. I see now that these miracles Jesus performed were all ways of letting us know what he is capable of in your life, my life and the lives of his follower.  Most importantly, these miracles serve as reminders when we forget how incredible Jesus is.  Do you need a reminder sometimes? I think we all can use a reminder every now and then. I know there are times when I forget about the miracle that Jesus is. Thankfully, Jesus’s love and patience are never ending, and he doesn't let us forget for too long. 

His Heart was Moved

 

In this coming Sunday's Gospel, Mark 6:30-34, a crowd follows Jesus and the Apostles, even though Jesus and the Apostles were trying to get away for a bit of rest.  In the reading, we hear that "when Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things."

The part that I focused on this time: "his heart was moved".  I know Jesus was all human and all divine at the same time, but it made me think about the divine part and whether God is "moved" by interaction with us.

I've heard from some people who know a lot more about Judeo-Christianity than I do, people that I respect greatly, that God never changes.  And to me that makes sense in a lot of ways.  God is eternal, after all.

But then I think about the idea that we are "in relationship with" God.  And when I think of it in that way, I tend to think that God is changed by interaction with us.    

I think of what seems to be a difference in the God of the Old Testament versus the God of the New Testament.  And it seems that the way God dealt with humanity really changed when Jesus was born.  The Old Testament is full of God's punishment.  The New Testament if full of God's grace and mercy.

It seems to me that something in God changed.  I know I am seeing things through me very limited human mind.  I know that learned theologians would probably provide great arguments to the contrary.  

But I think that at some point God's heart changed.  I want to believe that. I want to believe that God has changed through interaction and relationship with us.  We know that we have changed by interacting with God.

Peace be with you.

- The Older Brother

So they went off and preached repentance........

 I find it very interesting that this week's Gospel makes no distinction among the Apostles either in terms of their mission or their abilities. What I find particularly interesting is that clearly Judas is numbered among the twelve. We know from the Gospels that he was the one that was going to betray our Lord. We also know that Jesus knew all that was going to happen. We can surmise from other passages  (John 12:6) that Judas was not walking the straight and narrow path at this time and that his heart was not fully with the Lord. 

Nonetheless, Judas was sent, along with the others, and he drove out demons, and he cured the sick in Jesus's name. And he was able to do so not because of who he was, but because he was sent by Jesus, and he was (fallible as he was) given authority over unclean spirits. 

In an age when the Church is dealing with the fall out of one scandal after another, I think we can learn a lot from this; it's not about this priest or that priest. It's not about one parish or another. It's not about the Pope. It is, and always has been about Jesus. Jesus's ability to work through those He sends out among us is far greater than any of us. And just as important, we would be foolish to walk away from the Church Jesus established (*and promised that the gates of Hell would not overcome) because  of one who betrays his God. 

Peace, my brothers in Christ -

                                                     + Theophilus

 

Departing from Disappointment

Matthew 6: 1-6

July 4, 2021 – Gospel

 

Each time I read this passage, I feel badly for Jesus when he is questioned and mocked by those in his hometown, namely his family, and friends. How could he not have disappointed by their responses? Could Jesus even have been surprised at anything?  This gave me the opportunity to reflect on the times disappointment was brought to my doorstep. The times when someone disappointed me in my life are never far from memory.  Disappointment takes on a deeper feeling that even its closest cousin -anger.  Usually, we tend to process anger more effectively, whereas disappointment cuts closer to the heart.

 

Before this Gospel, St. Paul is preaching to the Corinthians and explaining that they (we) should be content with weaknesses, insults, and hardships – all for the sake of Christ.  So how did they (and we) internalize this new message when the world promotes the opposite?  From early on in our lives, we are taught the importance of power, control, and a worldly definition of what success should look like.  I assume that if you are taking the time to read this reflection, perhaps you too know the stinging pain of someone disappointing you.  So, it must have been with Jesus who came home to preach to those closest to him and then was met with criticism and taunts.  The passage ends by saying that Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.  He then departs, leaving the unbelievers with the consequences of their. 

 

Can you recall a time when disappointment came to you?  How did it make you feel and what did you do with this experience? I have had a difficult time forgiving those who disappointed me.  I guess, it all boils down to a choice.  Either you believe or you do not. One can either hold on to the frustration and discouragement or depart from it.  Pray for those who turn their backs on God and try your best to be compassionate ambassadors of the Good News. Your prayers are powerful.

 

The Pilgrim.