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.

THE CHILD IS NOT DEAD, BUT ASLEEP

XIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 5:21-43

We are faced daily with the reality of death, being forced to accept our mortality. Since the moment of conception, we walk on a path that will take us to death. That is the reality of life. It is as if life and death are two sides of the same coin. Despite that, deep down in our hearts, we refuse to accept death as our final destination. We live nurturing a strong desire for immortality and repeating the unanswerable question: Why do we have to die?

Time and again, many people blame God. If He is loving, why does He allow us to suffer and die? Or is He our enemy? Is He jealous of us? Does He need to squash our most profound desire to affirm Himself? The first reading, taken from the Book of Wisdom, gives a clear answer: “Death was not God’s doing, he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living.” Being created in the image of God, man has in him the seeds of immortality. Death does not come from God but from the Devil: “It was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world” (Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24). Death should be the experience of being born to live in God and that passage from earthly life to heavenly life would be welcomed with joy and happiness. However, human sin bred revolt and sowed chaos destroying the harmonious relationship between God, humanity and nature. St. Francis of Assisi welcomed death as his sister who came to take him to God.

In the gospel, we have two situations of suffering and death. In both of them, Jesus shows compassion for those who suffer. From what we see, we know that anyone who experiences sickness and suffering tries all possible means to recover and be sound again. Like a loving father, hearing about Jesus, Jairus looked for him, presenting his daughter’s situation: “My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.” And Jesus went without delay. The little girl died before Jesus’ arrival. Before death, Jesus gave hope to the grieving father with reassuring words: “Do not be afraid; only have faith.” And comparing death to sleep, Jesus ordered the little girl to get up.

In the second situation, we have a woman “who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years”. She had spent all her money on doctors, without any improvement in her condition. In a way, she was desperate but, after hearing about Jesus, her hope was rekindled. Then, she approached Jesus with discretion. She suffered physically and emotionally because she lived in a state of impunity, being forced to stay away from people. Jesus healed her body and saved her soul. She could be reintegrated into society and lead a normal life.

With Jesus, we must learn a compassion that makes us actively present in the lives of those who suffer.

The Lord listened and had pity.

  The Lord came to my help.

For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:

  O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

(Psalm 30)

WHY ARE YOU SO FRIGHTENED?

XII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 4:35-41

‘Why are you so frightened?”

Today, Jesus asks the same question to each one of us. We are frightened. The future is very uncertain. There are dark clouds on the horizon. The two big powers are at loggerheads with each other and their conflict can easily become a nuclear war that might destroy the world. The Church - especially the Catholic Church - shares in the uncertainty. It seems that she is descending into confusion as if she is lost. And we are filled with doubts. Is the Lord with us or is he asleep, abandoning us to our fate? 

This Sunday’s gospel presents us with a gloomy picture: The night was falling. It was dark and the disciples were crossing over to the other side, that is to the unknown, into a pagan world that accepts other values and follows other paths. There, on the other side, they might despise and reject us; they may even persecute us. The disciples experienced the turmoil of going through a violent storm with strong winds and high waves, threatening to drown them. This is the world we live in. And Jesus, even asleep, is in control. He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. That’s why he reproached his disciples: “Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?” Indeed, we would not be afraid if we just believed that Jesus is the Lord. He is in the boat, meaning that he is in the Church and will not allow her to go down. He is steering the Church through rough waters towards a secure port.

In the second reading, after experiencing Jesus’ love, Paul writes: “The love of Christ overwhelms us”. In his overwhelming love, Jesus died for all of us. That’s why “living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.” (2 Co 5:14-15).

WE ARE FULL OF CONFIDENCE

XI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 4:26-34

When speaking to people, Jesus used simple language, that was easy to understand: “he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it.” This was the main reason for him to use parables. We are presented with two very simple parables in this Sunday’s gospel. The kingdom of God is like throwing a seed on the ground. And the parable stresses two moments: the sowing and the growing. The role of the sower is paramount. Nothing will take place without the action of casting the seed. The preacher must preach the Gospel “in season and out of season” (2 Tm 4:2). Then, leave it to God, According to the parable, the seed will sprout and grow until “the full grain in the ear”. At that point, the harvest will be ordered and the grain will be collected.

In the second parable, the Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, a small seed that grows to become a tree “so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade”. The beginning is humble but the results are extraordinary, due to the power of God. We get discouraged many times as if we are working in vain. However, we should do our part and leave the rest to God.

In the second reading, Paul advises us to be confident, and put our trust in God. Here, on earth, we live in exile and feel the hardships this world brings. While here on earth, we should strive to please Him until the day we will stand before Him to receive the promised reward.

The just will flourish like the palm tree

  and grow like a Lebanon cedar.

Planted in the house of the Lord

  they will flourish in the courts of our God,

still bearing fruit when they are old,

  still full of sap, still green,

to proclaim that the Lord is just.

  In him, my rock, there is no wrong.

Psalm 92