19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Cassie

WHOEVER EATS THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER

Jesus proclaims, “I AM the bread of life” – the first of a series of “I AM” sayings in John’s Gospel in which Jesus both proclaims Himself to be the I AM (God), and identifies some aspect of how He brings us eternal life.  Whoever comes to Jesus and believes in Jesus will never again hunger or thirst; their basic needs of life will be satisfied by Jesus.  Our most basic life – need is not food or water but preservation from death.  And that is what Jesus grants to those who believe in Him: they will have eternal life and be raised up on the last day.

To believe in Jesus and accept the revelation He brings means to recognize that He has come from God.  Because He has come from God, He can reveal God to us – and He alone can do this, because no one else has ever seen God.  Belief is the key that opens the door to eternal life; belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the Word become flesh, the Son of God.

John’s Gospel puts great emphasis on having faith in Jesus – believing that He is who He says He is – because He is the source of eternal life: “Whoever believes has eternal life.”  To believe as Jesus asks us to believe is real faith – faith that is itself a gift from God.

As we come to Eucharist today, let us ask our Lord for true faith in Him.  Let us ask Him to open our eyes to the full reality of who He is and what He calls us to do in our life.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

18th Sunday in ordinary time

Posted on by Cassie

I AM the BREAD of LIFE

After the multiplication of the loaves the people misinterpret the event and seek Jesus, but for the wrong reasons.  Fascinated by what He had done for them, they were caught up by the thrill of unexpected wonders and failed to “see” the deeper meaning of His miracle.

Jesus asks them to look beyond the bread which man can eat and earn by the work of His hands to the mystery and meaning of His person and seek Him in the true sense.  “Seeking” Jesus means turning toward Him in faith as the one sent by God to bring the life of the Father to those who believe in Him.  Such faith is not something they can achieve or work for because it is the work of God in the heart of the Believer.

However, their faith still remains limited to a longing for signs and wonders, for a sign even greater than the one He had already given them. They ask for the Bread of Heaven which gives life to the world.

Jesus not only gives them Himself  through His life- giving word of revelation, but He is also the Father’s gift to them since He is sent by the Father on a life – giving mission to those who believe  in Him.  They are asking Jesus for this gift without understanding what they are really asking for.

Jesus says: “For the bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.”   Jews would all agree that bread coming down from heaven was already granted by God in the wilderness and was meant for sustaining the life of believers.  But the problem arises when Jesus applies to Himself the two components of His definition of true food and says: “I am the bread of life, for I have come down from heaven.” This is the very heart of the mystery of Incarnation.  For we who believe in Him, heaven and earth are reconciled in Jesus.

We receive Jesus, the “Bread of God” in Holy Communion.  He is real food.  Lord, give us this bread always.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Patrick Leyden

This week we begin to look at the sixth chapter of St. Johns’ Gospel.  This chapter begins with Jesus performing a miracle whose inner meaning is spelled out in the rest of the chapter.  The bread which Jesus multiplies for the crowd is a “sign” which discloses Jesus as the one who sustains us with His loving word and with the gift of His own  life in the Eucharistic Bread.

John’s account of this miracle is more Christ centered than the Synoptic Gospels.  For example Jesus “sees” the crowd “coming to Him;” He takes the initiative in feeding them and he distributes the loaves and fish Himself to the crowd.  They, on their part, acclaim Him as a prophet like Moses sent to feed His people and as the fulfillment of their hopes for a messianic king.  He “takes” and “gives” the bread, he “gives thanks” – this is all  language of the liturgy and recalls the Last Supper accounts in Mark’s Gospel and First Corinthians. The bread is indeed a sign of Jesus’ Eucharistic gift.

The Greek verb for “give thanks” is eucharisteo –  which gives us the word Eucharist.  Jesus is not content to give us earthly bread to satisfy our physical hunger.  Out of compassion Jesus offers us the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, to satisfy us eternally.

Only John’s Gospel tells us that this miracle took place around the time of Passover.  Only John specifies that Jesus multiplied barley bread.  In early Old Testament times, Passover incorporated the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a celebration of the barley harvest.  By multiplying barley bread at Passover time, Jesus was foreshadowing the replacement of Passover by the Eucharist.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell