TO SHARE WITH THANKSGIVING

XVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 6:1-15

The experience of starvation is very old. In old and modern times, there have been periods of scarcity, during which whole regions suffer from famine. The Scriptures present the experience of Jacob and his family. Several times, they made the long journey to Egypt in order to get some supplies of food and, then, in order to survive, they went to live there as economic migrants. During their wandering through the desert, the people of Israel suffered from lack of food, leading them to revolt against Moses. And they would rather go back to slavery in Egypt than suffer from famine. God found a way out of that suffering, providing them with manna from heaven. Throughout the history of salvation, God revealed himself as the Provider. And many peoples of the world have made that experience as well. In Bemba culture, one of the titles attributed to God is Mwansa Bamba, that is Master Hunter, who brings plenty of food and keeps his household well fed.

Among the prophets, we have the extraordinary story of Elisha, who asked a man to share the food he had, which was enough to feed a big number, still leaving a surplus. In the gospels, we find Jesus doing something similar. Far away from their homes, a big crowd of people were following Jesus, and he had pity on them. A young boy had some bread and a little fish. And from that little food shared out in an attitude of thanksgiving, enough food was found to feed the crowd. In Bemba, people say: Ificepa, fyakufwala; ifyakulya taficepa. Clothes may be short, but food does not fall short. Even little, it can be shared. This attitude of sharing is very important. The food produced in the world is enough for the whole population, but a few overeat and throw away any leftover. In some places, there is overproduction, and then what cannot be sold is disposed of or allowed to rotten, leaving countless numbers of people in a precarious situation. And besides agricultural products, sold at affordable prices, we must share as well the technologies which make possible to increase production. We live in a world of plenty, plagued by obesity in a growing number of countries. The body succumbs to the weight of gluttony, and the soul becomes the prisoner of an unbridled desire for self-satisfaction.

We must pay attention to what Jesus did: He "took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them." The sharing of the bread was done in thanksgiving. He would do the same in the Last Supper, for us to learn that communion is only possible when there is sharing. With Christ let us learn to share in thanksgiving.

THE KIND OF LEADERS WE NEED

XVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Jeremiah 23:1-6

Since long ago, the figure of the shepherd has been used as a model for the leaders and rulers of the people, be it religious or political. And so Jeremiah’s criticism against the shepherds is a criticism of the leaders of the people.  A true shepherd, who is in charge of his flock, must take good care of the sheep, leading them to good pastures and refreshing waters. He must keep them healthy and well-fed, without suffering from the fierce heat of the sun or from heavy thunderstorms. In dangerous times, he must lead them to the sheepfold and provide them with food. While in the open countryside, he must keep them together, being attentive to the stray one, so that she does not get lost. And he must protect the flock from the fierce animals that are always lurking in the shadows to catch and kill the sheep. The shepherd’s life must be at the service of the sheep. However, the rulers of Israel are only concerned with their personal welfare; they do not care for the well-being of their people. They abandon them and they remain on their own, disperse and defenceless. Worse still, feeling trumped upon and oppressed, the sheep get scattered. Those leaders lived off the people. And so God will call them to account and take their positions from them and then He himself will take care of his people and choose shepherds according to his heart, who will “practise honesty and integrity in the land”.

In this Sunday’s gospel, we see Jesus as the one who came to fulfil that promise and to be that shepherd who takes good care of his people. And this is made clear with two incidents: first, Jesus cares for his disciples and sees that they have time for rest and for reflection; second, seeing the crowds coming to him, he realises that they “were like sheep without a shepherd”, scattered and lost, without anybody to gather them and give them direction. And Jesus, having “pity on them”, “set himself to teach them at some length.”

GOD’S PROJECT FOR HUMANKIND

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ephesians 1:3-14

Nowadays, there are many people who despise God. For many, God either does not exist or, if he exists, he is a malevolent God who is intent on destroying our happiness and destroying our freedom. Others still proclaim that God is dead. Indeed, if God is a malevolent God, we do not need him. However, without God, we are left to our own self-destruction. Human beings have proved themselves to be the most violent of all creatures. Moved by pride, with an insatiable thirst for power, they are ready to crush any defiance or opposition. The death of God would mean the death of humankind, and we are the ones who will bring that death upon ourselves. If we try to be gods, we will be laughable gods, dominated by a destructive instinct. Instead of gods, they transform themselves into devils.

The Bible presents us with a different picture of God and of his relationship with human beings. In a process of revelation, which unfolds little by little, as the history of the people of Israel moves forward, God presents himself as a loving and caring God, who has a project for the people. In this Sunday’s liturgy, we are presented with a passage from the letter to the Ephesians that explicitly puts forward God’s project for humankind. God's plan is to “bring everything together under Christ, as head”, since he is the one who has redeemed and reconciled us. God’s project is a project of love, compassion and mercy, made present to us in Jesus Christ. Through Him, we become the adopted children of God. And since we are children, we are also heirs. And all this happens through Jesus Christ. Being the children of God, we are called to be holy, because he is holy (Lev 19:2). It was in Christ that God chose us “before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love" (Eph 1: 4). And for this to become a reality, God "blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3).  "So that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:12).

Let us give thanks to the Lord, singing his glories, because of the greatness of his love

PREJUDICE IS A FORM OF BLINDNESS

XIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -  Mark 6:1-6

Jesus went to Nazareth, his hometown, and, on the Sabbath day, he went to the synagogue with his disciples. The synagogue was the house of the assembly, a house of prayer and a gathering place. Like all Jews, Jesus used to take part in the Sabbath worship at the synagogue. There, they used to read from the Scriptures and then somebody would give a commentary on the texts read. There would be time for prayer and for singing, as well. This synagogal tradition passed into the Christian liturgy, constituting the first part of the Mass - the celebration of the word. Jesus’ example should help us to realise the importance of the Day of the Lord, which is as well the Day of the Community. We need to set apart a special time for God and for the community. However, nowadays, we have ignored and despised the importance of the day of worship. Shopping malls and supermarkets are open, and people do their usual daily business. There is time for everything, except for God, for the family and for one another.

As we read this Sunday’s gospel, we discover that Jesus’ visit to Nazareth was not a pacific one. Even though surprised by his speech, they rejected him, because of their prejudice against him. Indeed, Jesus was a victim of prejudice. When informed by Philip about Jesus from Nazareth, Nathanael gave voice to his suspicion, saying: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). And, in a kind of joke, the nickname of Nazarene was placed on the cross. At Nazareth, no one listened to him,  convinced as they were that they knew him: he was the carpenter and his family was well known. Prejudice leaves us blind, unable to see the goodness and truth of the other. Full of prejudice, we end up demonising the other, considering him a threat because he is different from us: from another race, another tribe, another people, another religion, another ideology or political grouping. And we reject him because he does not fit into our categories. We become incapable of recognising in the other the same humanity that is in us and we consider him incapable of contributing to the common good. We judge the other without knowing him and become unjust in our judgment. Nowadays, in the name of the so considered correct, we turn many prejudices into absolute and indisputable truths that are imposed as the only possible alternative. We must see the other, with his differences, as a challenge and not as a threat. The other is a challenge that leads us to a renewed effort of growth and solidarity.