THIS IS MY BODY GIVEN FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 6:51-58

We have been reading chapter six of the gospel of John, the longest chapter in the gospels. It deals mainly with the theme of the bread of life. In the narrative of the Last Supper, John substitutes the Eucharist institution by the washing of the feet. For John, Jesus is the Servant of the Lord who gives his life for the world's redemption. As a servant, Jesus is a role model for his disciples, who are called to service and to give their lives for the sake of salvation. However, John dedicated nearly a whole chapter to the Eucharist, the bread of life.

The Eucharist, being at the centre of the Church’s life, has a richness of meaning that must be expressed in a variety of forms. Obeying Jesus’ command, we celebrate the Eucharist in memory of his Last Supper and of his passion and death. In the Eucharist, we celebrate his resurrection, as we wait for his coming. The Eucharist is the memorial of Jesus Christ, his words, his actions and Himself. The Word Incarnate becomes present in our midst for the salvation of the world. In the Eucharist, Jesus is for us the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In the Eucharist, Jesus is the priest who offers himself in sacrifice, shedding the blood which is the seal of the new covenant. This sacrifice is the same and only sacrifice offered once and for all on the cross for the remission of sins. At the same time, it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to almighty God, the Father of mercies. In the Eucharist, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, that is his victory over death through which he defeated the power of evil and the prince of this world. In the Eucharist, we are invited to the banquet of the Lord. We sit at his table and receive from him the bread of life. As the bread of life, we receive his body, flesh and blood, through which he establishes a deep communion with us: 

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood

lives in me

and I live in him.

As I, who am sent by the living Father,

myself draw life from the Father,

so whoever eats me will draw life from me.”

I AM THE LIVING BREAD

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Kings 19:4-8

In this Sunday’s liturgy, the first reading invites us to have a good look at the extraordinary figure of Elijah. He was the first great prophet in a line of prophets. His name, meaning “my God is Yahweh”, indicates his mission: to affirm Yahweh as the only God who must be worshipped, revered and obeyed. He put his life at the service of the Lord God and lived in a continuous struggle against the false gods that had led the people astray. Moved by great zeal for God, he showed himself in mighty actions and was ready to use violence against the servants of Baal (1 Kings 18:20). As a prophet, he was bold and fearless, challenging people and calling them to repentance. Then, his life was threatened by the queen who promised to have him killed and he ran away as far as he could going into the wilderness. The powerful prophet was confronted with his weakness which led him to question his vocation and his mission. Tired of fighting and then running into hiding, he asked God to take his life: “‘O Lord,’ he said ‘I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’” It is as if his life became meaningless and without a purpose. However, his mission had not finished yet and God still had plans for him but to go on he needed to be strengthened by God. Twice, Elijah was given food from heaven and then ordered to go on the journey towards the mountain of God.

In a way, all of us are called to journey towards God’s mountain. It is a long and hard journey and we may get tired, discouraged and depressed. Then, it is so easy to give up. We cannot reach the top of God’s mountain to contemplate his face and be wrapped in his glory without being strengthened by the food from heaven. We must eat the bread of life to go on fighting the good fight (1 Tim 6:12).

The bread given to Elijah, like the manna given to the people of Israel in the desert (Ex 16), is a promise of the bread of life - the bread for the journey, that Jesus will give to his disciples. And that bread is Jesus himself: 

“I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.

Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;

and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,

for the life of the world.” (Jn 6:51).

PUT ON THE NEW SELF

XVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

Being the capital of the province of Asia, Ephesus was one of the great cities in the classical world. With a good harbour, Ephesus was an important cultural and trading centre that became famous for the temple of Artemis, considered one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, for its library and a large theatre. In Ephesus, Artemis was celebrated mainly as the goddess of fertility and childbirth. We should not be surprised that this milieu greatly influenced the Christians living there; they were continuously being pulled back to the old ways they had vowed to abandon. 

On this matter, Paul advised them: “I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live.” These words must be applied to us since we live in a similar situation. The Olympic games taking place in Paris are a clear reminder of that. The opening ceremony was an affirmation and proclamation of pagan values set forward against Christian values. The golden bull represents the false god that the people of God chose to worship turning their backs on the true God, the living God who has set them free. Abandoning God to worship idols, humanity falls into all kinds of degradation and corruption. And they brought back the bacchanalia, festivities in honour of Bacchus (Dionysus in Greece), “the god of wine, fertility and ecstasy”.  Like in the old bacchanalia, chaos, confusion and disgusting behaviour are apparent. In an act of mockery, they used the Last Supper to represent the feast of the gods. It is good to remember that in Rome, during the Republic,  in 186 BC, the bacchanalia were forbidden by the Senate.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul spells out what our attitude must be: 

“You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.”

Our old self and behaviour must give place to a new way of thinking and behaving. We must acquire a new self, according to God’s design. If we remain faithful to God, the world will hate us, because they prefer darkness to light.

In the same letter to the Ephesians, Paul warns us:

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” (Ep 5:3-5).

JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE

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

Most of the miracles are healings of sick or handicapped people. They are the result of Jesus’ compassion for the suffering of people. The feeding of a big crowd was a different type of miracle. In the Synoptics, we are told that Jesus felt “compassion for the crowd” who, having followed him, were without food and far from their houses. They were starving and Jesus felt sorry for them. In this Sunday’s reading, the gospel of John presents a similar narrative. A large crowd followed Jesus expecting to see his miracles (signs) and find relief to their suffering. They were on the other side of the Lake of Galilee on a hillside. John tells us, "It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.” Seeing the crowds approaching, Jesus felt responsible for them. He is a good shepherd who looks after his flock, paying attention to their needs. And he asked Philip, one of the disciples: “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?” To buy bread would be the first solution, a human solution that would not satisfy their hunger. 

And Philip recognised they did not have the means to look after those people's wellbeing. Andrew informed Jesus that there was someone, a small boy, with something but it was too little to satisfy everybody. However, Jesus had a divine solution, “for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Co 12:9). The ones who have little wealth and power are the ones who contribute more since they are the ones who put themselves in God’s service. With little, through God’s grace, we can achieve great things.

The gospel of John presents the feeding of the crowd as an introduction to the speech on the bread of life, that is the Eucharist. Thus, Jesus performs the same gestures as in the Last Supper: “Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready”. Everybody ate as much as he wanted and was satisfied. There was such an abundance of food that they collected 12 baskets of scraps left over. 

Looking at us with love, Jesus shows mercy and compassion. We never find enough to end our hunger and quench our thirst. Jesus transforms the little we have into the bread of life. Let us approach his table with thanksgiving.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

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

Jesus “saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.” Looking around and paying attention to what is happening to us, we get the same impression: we are like sheep without a shepherd. The world in general but especially the so-called Western world seems to have lost its way. It is as if we live in a hopeless world, guided by a culture of death and self-destruction. We have thrown away God’s commandments deeming them to be oppressive. In an affirmation of autonomy and freedom, we change the rules and create a new perspective of what means to be human. We deny reality and substitute it with our feelings and imagination. I am what I wish to be and others are forced to acknowledge my proclaimed identity. We try to become our gods who decide the goals and the rules that must be accepted. I am whatever I say I am. Our delusions are affirmed as the reality and those who refuse to accept them are seen as the enemy that must be banned and crushed. How have we come to such a situation? We need guidance since we are lost like sheep without a shepherd.

In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah addresses a similar situation. The flock is “scattered” and goes “wandering” because no one takes “care of them”. They live in fear, trembling with terror. And the shepherds - the leaders, are blamed for such a situation since they care only about themselves. They failed in their duty, thus being condemned to doom: “Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered”. God will punish them for that and he will become the Shepherd who gathers his sheep and brings them together. This Shepherd “will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them”. Then, through the prophet, God promises to send the Messiah, a descendent of David, to be the good Shepherd. In the Gospel, Jesus presents himself as that shepherd: “he set himself to teach them at some length” (Mk 6:34).

With Psalm 23, let us put our trust in the Lord who is our shepherd:

The Lord is my shepherd;

  there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

  where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

  to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;

  he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

  no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

  with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me

  in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

  my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

  all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

  for ever and ever.

BLESSED BE GOD!

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

This Sunday, reading Ephesians 1:3-14, we are invited to reflect on God’s plan of salvation. We should start with an attitude of praise and thanksgiving, recognising Go’s holiness as the source of all blessings. Always and everywhere, we are called to give thanks to God from whom all goodness comes.

Throughout the passage, it is clear that God’s plan of salvation moves around Christ. He has made known “the mystery of his will”. In Christ, he set forth his purpose: He intends to unite all things in Christ in heaven and on earth, thus making Christ the centre of everything. In Christ, we are blessed, chosen and predestined. It is through Him that we receive all kinds of blessings. In Him, we were chosen “before the foundation of the world” to “be holy and blameless”. We were predestined to be adopted as children. And everything is done “to the praise of his glorious grace” and “to the praise of his glory”. For this plan to be carried out, “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses”. Through his death on the cross, Jesus reconciled us with God and opened the way to holiness. Predestined to be adopted as children of God, “we have obtained an inheritance” - the inheritance due to the children, and have been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it”.

In the gospel (Mark 6:7-13), Mark shows Jesus fulfilling God’s will and carrying out His plan. God’s merciful love is revealed through Jesus’ actions and words. Since the beginning, Jesus prepared his disciples to carry on his mission. He sent them in pairs. And “they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.” The Church has been entrusted with this same mission and we are responsible for carrying it out.

WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG

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

The prophet speaks of his calling, in the first reading (Ezekiel 2:2-5) of this Sunday’s liturgy. He is filled with the Spirit who makes him stand up to be sent. A prophet is always called and sent. He is given a mission, which he must carry out among his fellow human beings. He is not called for his sake or his well-being. The prophet is a man for others. He has to be ready to leave his family and his country. Even among his people, he will be seen as a stranger who brings something different: a different way of seeing the world and a different behaviour. His actions are guided by the Spirit and motivated by the mission entrusted to him. He is not at liberty to do as he pleases because he is being sent: “Son of man, I am sending you”. However, the only difference about him is the mission he was entrusted with. In everything else, he is a human being like all the others. That’s why he is addressed as “son of man”. Being human, a prophet is subjected to the same hardships all humans have to endure. The important about him is that he becomes a sign among the people: “Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.” The “defiant and obstinate” people cannot say that they were not warned about their crooked ways.

In the second reading (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), Paul writes about his weaknesses and shortcomings, giving the impression that they are very uncomfortable to him. Humanly thinking, he would like to be freed of that suffering for his preaching to become more assertive. However, God makes him realise that “my power is at its best in weakness.” Whenever we seem to be at a loss, overburdened by our weaknesses, then whatever good we do is done by God’s grace.

In the gospel, Jesus’ mission appears to be a failure. He is despised and rejected in his village. Thinking to know everything about him, they know nothing and have become unable to believe. The first reading may be applied to Jesus: “Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.” And it may be applied as well to all the disciples of Jesus sent in a mission to proclaim the Gospel.